Eyes of the Harbinger
by RogueRoguePhoenix
Summary: Through pain and misery, he was given power. Through sadness and fear, he was given strength. Now, Naruto stands, as the first person to be gifted with the eyes of a Shinigami.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Whaddup everyone? I'm back wit another crazy-induced fandom. Can't say how often I can update this but I'm currently writing a lot of it, which is amazing. Pairing of course will be NaruxHina as that is the best for me and I don't particularly like any other Naruto slash whatever except maybe Female Haku. Anyways, it's a new idea and I hope you guys can give some reviews on the story.**

**Disclaimer: ****Don't own Naruto... blah blah blah... property of Kishimoto... blah blah blah... make no money... blah blah blah... damn.**

owo

What was it like to have been loved?

_Pain…_

The night air was filled with lights and cries as villagers clustered over a prone form. Lying within the middle, Uzumaki Naruto merely stared at the oncoming fists with dead, emotionless eyes. Not once did it betray what the boy was feeling, if anything. Not even when his small body was pounded from all sides with fists and feet.

"Damn demon… how dare you stay alive!"

"Are you trying to mock my dead husband's memory?"

"Burn in hell like the monster you are!"

Naruto did not respond. He had learned long ago that any words spoken up would merely prompt the villagers to attack with even more ferocity. Now, he merely kept his mouth shut, taking in the blows as best as his little body would allow.

"Looks like he hasn't had enough yet. Come on! Let's beat him till he's begging us!"

"How do you like it now demon? This doesn't even match the pain we felt when you slaughtered our families!"

"Die like the vermin you are!"

Naruto gave off an involuntary gasp of pain as his body was suddenly flung straight towards a wall. It collided against the hard concrete and fell towards the ground, unmoving. The villagers did not seem to care as they continued their reckless pounding on the little boy.

After what seemed like an eternity, the villagers finally left, having been satisfied with the now seemingly dead form of Uzumaki Naruto. A few of the villagers decided that more humiliation was needed for the young blond and so they spat on him too before leaving, not even caring as their saliva mixed with the boy's blood.

Naruto simply laid there on the ground, unmoving and uncaring at how light-headed he felt.

"Oh? What's this?"

Suddenly, a scandal stepped onto the ground where Naruto was staring. Too tired to raise his head, Naruto merely slid his eyes upward. The only things he could make out through his hazy vision were a pair of white hands and a black yukata.

_Tired…_

Naruto simply slid his eyes shut as unconsciousness began to make its way towards him. He had endured enough pain that day. He wanted rest.

"Kukukuku… seems I've found the most promising little test subject out there. I really must thank sensei and this village for making it so easy. Kukukuku…kukuhahahaha!"

owo

"You were amazing Hyuuga-sama. Not many women would be able to move so easily barely two hours after birth." Hyuuga Hinako, wife to the clan head Hyuuga Hiashi, gave the medic-nin a warm smile. She was currently in a special room within the hospital, one used specifically for those giving birth. Although even many kunoichis would have stayed bedridden after the stress of giving birth, Hinako was already walking around, albeit very slowly, towards the incubation chambers.

"More importantly, how is my child?"

"Ah there is no need to worry Hyuuga-sama. Your daughter is nice and healthy. She is currently resting right now and your discharge should be in a day or two."

"I'm glad." Hinako was tired. Although she had known the pain that childbearing would bring, actually feeling it again was another reminder entirely. Her body ached, her mind was lethargic, and her spirit was exhausted. Still, she very much wanted to see her little daughter. She wanted to see the new member in her family.

'_A new child, a new hope for the future of the clan.'_

"Hinako, why are you out of your room?" The Hyuuga consort and her medic aid, immediately looked away from each other and towards the person in front of them. There, standing with his arms crossed, was her husband and clan head, Hyuuga Hiashi. The man was currently frowning at her quite severely, something that prompt a hidden smile on Hinako's face. Although Hiashi always preferred to maintain an aura of coolness around him, she could always tell what he was feeling underneath. The see the man being worried about her brought a small sense of joy within her. The rumors of Hyuuga Hiashi being a cold and remorseless leader were proven wrong. He had a true heart.

"Hiashi-sama, it is nothing. Our clan medics had already treated the worst of my pains. As long as I do not exert myself, then there is no problem. I believe checking on my child is not something too strenuous."

Hiashi's frown did not lighten in the least. "Being able to see your own children is not something that you should be risking your health over. There are plenty of opportunities to see her when your body is healed."

"Nothing is more important than to be able to see your own children being safe and sound." Hinako's reply was soft but her gaze suddenly hardened in a stern glare. Not even the love she felt for her own husband would stop her maternal instincts.

"…" Hiashi merely sighed. He knew it was futile to argue with her. Hinako was a very stubborn woman when prodded and nothing prompted that stubbornness more than the need to see her child safe.

'_Of course… I suppose that I was being hypocritical.' _Hiashi looked away in embarrassment at what happened earlier. He had just come back from a very taxing council meeting and arrived to the hospital immediately. He stayed outside of his wife's room, watching everything attentively even though he was tired. When the child was being brought over towards the incubation chamber, he had immediately rushed to his wife's side and when he knew she was alright, had rushed over again towards his child.

Hinako smiled when Hiashi looked away, obviously remembering his own anxiety. She walked over towards her husband and wrapped her arms around his own. She leaned onto his broader frame as if for support and looked up to her husband kindly. "Let us go together."

Such an open display of affection would have been viewed with shock by most people in the public. Their views of the Hyuuga were always that of stoic warriors, emotionless as the ANBU. Hiashi coughed a little in embarrassment but nodded. The smile on Hinako's face widened as they made their way towards the incubation chamber.

owo

The room was dimly lit, so as to not irritate the slumbering infants. Such a fact was not a problem for the two Hyuugas, whose bloodline allows them to have a higher sense of sight passively. The two nimbly made their way through numerous incubators until stopping on the one labeled 'Hyuuga Hanabi'.

Hinako smiled and bent forward. Her hands landed gently against the class shell and caressed the surface. "Hello my child." Her voice came out in a soft whisper, as if she was afraid to awake the slumbering baby. "You have been very brave. The doctors were so afraid when you came out silent but not once did you cry. You just stared up at us with that face, as if asking who we were." Tears of joy welled up within her eyes, slightly clouding her vision. "You certainly take after your father on that."

"Do you know why we gave you that name? It was because when one of the doctors started to wash you, you actually bit his hand." The clan consort giggled as she remembered the doctor yelping in pain. "You certainly take after your father in many things."

"Hinako." The warmth that Hiashi generated alone gave Hinako a strange feeling of contentment. She straightened up and nodded towards her husband. The two made their way out of the incubation chamber in silence. Nothing was needed to be said.

"Hiashi-sama, Hinako-sama, how is your child?" The two Hyuugas had walked out to meet two pairs of inquisitive young eyes staring up to them. Hinako smiled softly. "Hanabi is fine. She merely needs to stay for the night and after, we will head back together."

"More importantly," the two young girls suddenly tensed at the stern tone coming from the clan head. "Do your parents know that you are away again?" the sheepish expression adopted by the two was enough proof. Hiashi sighed while Hinako giggled.

Hiashi frowned at the two young Hyuugas before him. Hyuuga Hikari and Hyuuga Ume were both grand-daughters to clan elders and as such, they were part of the main family. However, they often ditch lessons and frequent over the hospital, preferring to adopt the role of medic-nins instead of the traditional expectations from their family.

While he himself was quite fond of their cheerfulness, their lack of commitment to the traditional ways of the Hyuuga had roused protests from other main branch members. There were even talks of branding them with the curse seal but Hiashi had clamped down on it quite firmly. Still, the resentment was still there from many of the other members.

"Hiashi-sama." The clan head looked down towards his wife who winked at him with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Let's keep this visit a secret shall we?"

Before Hiashi could reply, two squeals pitched through the hallway and the clan head nearly found himself bowled over as the two young girls hugged the laughing Hinako. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Hinako patted both of their heads gently and looked over towards her husband. The expression that he had on his face was too much for her and she giggled at the sight. It was rare to see her husband look so flustered.

As the small group made their way towards Hinako's room, Ume and Hikari sprouted up question after question, bombarding the two with their curiosity.

"Hinako-sama, did it hurt when Hanabi-sama was coming out?"

"Did Hanabi-sama cry when she came out?"

"How tired were you after?"

"Did you break Hiashi-sama's hand when you were giving birth?"

"Now why in the world would I do that?" Hinako giggled as she listened to all their questions. She was currently leaning against her husband for support with her arms wrapped loosely around his elbow. "It's not as if he did anything _too _bad."

"Eh? But didn't Hiashi-sama get you pregnant? I heard wives usually break their husband's hands when they give birth to give them a taste of what it really feels like!"

"Ah." Hinako giggled at Ume's outburst while Hiashi looked away once more in embarrassment. "Then should I break my dear Hiashi-sama's hand now? After all, he _did _arrive a little late for Hanabi."

Hiashi took in the teasing good-naturedly. Hearing these relatively light-hearted jokes helped to lighten his mood, especially after the meeting he had came back from.

Hiashi's eyes clouded and he frowned as he remembered the meeting from a few hours back. Meetings these days were nothing more than shout matches between two subjects: The growing political disputes between Suna and the execution of the Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. It irritated him that the council saw more reason to fight over the two subjects when they were supposed to be looking after the well being of the village.

"Hiashi-sama, is something the matter?" The clan head immediately snapped back to reality. He looked down towards his wife, who was gazing up at him with concerned eyes and shook his head. "No." He replied. "Nothing is wrong."

Hinako frowned, obviously unconvinced, but she remained silent.

"Well you didn't answer the last question!" Hikari's voice broke through the momentary awkwardness. She grinned at the group before her. "Would you break Hiashi-sama's hand if you were to get pregnant again?"

"Well now… I suppose if I get pregnant again then there would be no cho-" before Hinako could finish her sentence, Hiashi had suddenly pushed her out of the way. Surprised, Hinako trained her eyes towards her husband, who had just blocked off a flurry of kunai and shuriken.

"Kukukuku… you're reaction is still as sharp as ever Hiashi-kun." That serpentine voice, coupled with that immense killer intent, brought chills down Hinako's spine. She slowly turned her attention towards the opened door that led to her room. Standing there with a strange gray-haired boy besides him was a man with white skin, black yukata, long black hair, and yellow serpentine eyes. It did not take much for Hinako to recognize who that man was.

"Orochimaru…"

owo

Sarutobi sighed, completely exhausted, as he finally lowered his ink brush. It was bad enough that he had to spend nearly two hours in that annoying meeting but now when he arrived back into his administration office, he was met with a pile of unchecked paperwork. "I am seriously getting too old for this."

As the old Hokage leaned back in his chair and puffed on his pipe, he turned his attention towards the Hokage monument, still visible in the night. Each face stared blankly into the far expanse, emulating the resolve that each Hokage takes upon themselves when they receive the title. Seeing it reminded him of his predecessors.

The Shodai, a person unrivaled in strength and wisdom, who used his own chakra to create the forests that became the borders of Konoha. He was a wise leader, an amazing teacher, and dear friend to the old Sarutobi.

The Nidaime, the honorary brother to the Shodai who left the then large empire known as Mizugakure. His knowledge in suiton techniques was so amazing and profound that he could literally create a lake that rivals those of some countries with his chakra alone. That amazing knowledge coupled with his legendary sword, Raijin, had earned him the name as Konoha's Sea King.

The Yondaime. Sarutobi sighed and gazed at the youthful face of his successor. Namikaze Minato, Konoha's Yellow Flash, was a man that inspired the village to new heights in pride. His skills were amazing, his infamy widespread, and his kindness knew no bounds. It pained Sarutobi to have been able to outlive his successor. Minato died so early, sacrificing his life to seal the powerful demon known as the Kyuubi no Yoko.

"…Do you three see this village and curse it?" Sarutobi smiled sadly at the unmoving faces. "Do you curse me for being too lax?" Again, there was no response.

"There are no excuses for the wrongs committed. I cannot hide behind my old age and claim that as an excuse. Too much has already happened before and I allowed that weariness to consume me. I now see that mistake and I pledge my cause, I shall write the wrong committed in this village."

Sarutobi sighed. He prepared himself for another night of reviewing when suddenly, he stopped. The ink brush that was held lightly within his hand fell loose and clattered onto the ground. Sarutobi hastily stood up and snapped his head towards the hospital's direction.

"This chakra…! It can't be!"

owo

"Orochimaru…"

The serpentine man grinned widely. His yellow slitted eyes were brimming with madness as he stared down the Hyuuga head. Hiashi met his gaze coldly, adopting the form of a shinobi. As soon as he had blocked off the flurry of weapons, he had immediately switched onto his _Jyuuken_ stance, preparing to fight to the death.

"Kukukuku… as cold as always Hiashi-kun. Why must you be like this when we have not seen each other in nearly ten years?"

Hiashi remained motionless. His eyes narrowed coldly as the tell-tale signs of his activated _Byakugan _began to show. "Why are you here traitor." He spoke up calmly, despite the situation and the monstrous killing intent around him, he remained poised. "It cannot be for just a reunion. Why are you here?"

"Why you say? Kukukuku… there are actually two reasons. One is right here." He motioned towards his silent companion who was carrying an unconscious child. The gray-haired man shifted the body for a better view and the Hyuugas immediately knew who it was. Battered and bloody, that child was none other than the Kyuubi's jailor, Uzumaki Naruto.

"No…" Hinako whispered to herself. The boy looked like he had been through a battlefield. Wounds were all over his body and one of his arms looked like it was hanging by a thread. The boy stirred a little and opened his eyes. Hinako immediately found herself at the receiving end of Naruto's vision. She was shocked to see his eyes dead, soulless. What had happened to him?

"You monster!" She suddenly found herself screaming. "What have you done to him!?"

"Me?" Orochimaru turned his attention towards her and if possible, his maniacal smile widened even more. "Little Naruto-kun here was like this when I found him. The poor little soul was beaten and humiliated by **the very villagers you weaklings protect!**" His voice suddenly changed tone and his smile flared into a full fledged laugh.

"I really must thank you! To provide me with the perfect test subject!" Orochimaru did a mocking bow before them. "But I am afraid that I will need more than just one."

"What are you saying?" Hiashi gritted his teeth in anger. What was this snake playing at?

Orochimaru looked up at him and grinned. "The answer is simply Hiashi-kun." The Hyuuga clan head almost shuddered. Orochimaru was practically purring in his delight. "I require more 'test subjects', nothing more."

Before he could do anything, Hiashi suddenly found himself knocked against the wall. He gasped in pain but before he could retaliate, the wall behind him began to morph. The concrete that made up the wall suddenly moved forward and wrapped around his body. "What!" He tried to move but found himself unable to. "You-!"

"Now now… no need for you to be so angry Hiashi-kun. After all, it's not like I'm going to be killing anyone here." Orochimaru grinned at him before making his way towards the three Hyuuga women before him. Hikari and Ume both had been knocked unconscious by the sheer force of his killing intent, making them quite easy to take. Hinako was weakened by child-birth and so she cannot do much. Orochimaru knelt down next to her and ignoring the angry cries from Hiashi, placed her in a genjutsu-induced sleep.

"Stop! What are you doing with my wife!?"

"Kukuku, I said that I needed more 'test subjects' did I not? I happened to have found three perfect candidates." Orochimaru grinned at the pinned Hyuuga. "It has been quite nice to talk to you again Hiashi-kun but I'm afraid that Kabuto and I must take our leave." Suddenly, the forms of Orochimaru and his accomplice began to melt onto the ground. Startled, Hiashi yelled for him to stop but it was in vain. Orochimaru had disappeared.

And just after, Sarutobi, along with a squad of ANBU elites, appeared. "Hiashi! What has happened!?"

The clan head was staring at the spot before him in shock. "He took them." He muttered. "He took them."

"Who? Who did he take?"

"My wife, my clansmen… he took them." Hiashi turned his attention towards the strickened Hokage. "He also took Uzumaki Naruto."

"…What…?"

Hiashi looked at the spot once more, reliving the final moments where his wife was sinking into the ground along with that snake. Then, in a sudden burst of energy, he reared back his head and gave out one loud cry. It rang through the hallway, through the entire hospital, and towards the village, expressing his lamentation.

"HINAKO!"

**A/n: Well whaddya think? Please give some reviews. I want to know what you guys think of the story so far. Granted, Naruto is definitely NOT going to enjoy his time with Orochimaru and I have plenty of hardships for him. That being say, this story will probably take a much darker tone, with Naruto hating the village as much as he hates Orochimaru. Well till next time ppl.**

**Lates!**

**REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well here's the next chapter. Sorry if it's a little short. Haven't had a lot of inspiration lately and my shot attention span certainly doesn't help much. There was one person who had asked if Hinata was even in the story. I must implore you to read the summary where it clearly says "NaruxHina" , indicating that she is indeed in the story. I just didn't put her in the first chapter. Well, rest assure she has an appearance in this one and please forgive me if I made her a little different than how many see her as.**

**owo**

He awoke to one thing. Pain, a feeling that had been his constant companion for all of his life, was already assaulting his senses. It tore at him, ripped his consciousness, and mocked him at his powerless state.

Pain.

Searing pain.

Oh how he wished that it were to end. Through his entire ordeals, he had never once experienced the sheer level of intensity that this experience has just given him. Yet, despite the having his senses muzzled by the white-hot intensity of his pain, he was still able to pick up a few words spoken through the darkness.

"Hmmm… it would appear that the technique was a success."

"Chakra is flowing out of him in large quantities. Could this be a side-effect?"

"No matter. Continue the experiment. We do not come across such robust test subjects like these that often."

Once again, that searing pain invaded his senses, causing his body to shudder against it. He opened his mouth, attempting to finally scream in pain, only to realize that his mouth was bound shut. Another jolt of pain caused him to fall once more into oblivion.

**owo**

It was quiet within the Hyuuga mansion. In the meeting hall, those directly related to the event that took place sat down with solemn expressions. Only the two mothers, still bearing the lost of their children, were leaking tears in silence. To Sarutobi, who sat down with them, he could sympathize with them. Having the potential loss of their clan secrets was already a blow to the Hyuuga clan but to lose their children and wife as a whole… it must have devastated those directly related.

Sitting in the middle of the group was Hyuuga Hiashi. Though Sarutobi could see that he was doing his best to maintain that solemn persona, the old Hokage also knew that the abduction of his wife has brought fresh pain onto an already wounded heart. Seeing his wife abducted must have reminded him of the sacrifice he had to give in the form of his twin brother, Hyuuga Hizashi.

"Hiashi…" The Hyuuga clan head looked up from the floor mat and met the old Hokage's eyes. A moment passed between them before Hiashi looked back down onto the floor mat.

"…Forgive me." Everyone returned his or her attention towards him in shock. To see their leader, Hyuuga Hiashi, kneeling before them with his head pressed onto the floor.

"Forgive me." Hiashi repeated. "I was too weak. In that moment of weakness, I have allowed Orochimaru to take what we hold dear. Please… forgive this foolish leader for allowing your children to be taken."

The woman next to him, the mother to Hyuuga Hikari, suddenly began to shake. Her husband gently placed a hand onto her shoulder as her sobs began to grow louder and louder. As he held her, he stared up towards his leader with solemn, yet resolute eyes. "We forgive you." He replied determinedly. "And please, forgive _us _for not allowing you the time to grieve over the lost of your own." His wife nodded, still sobbing gently against her husband's chest.

"Yes… your forgiveness is not something we deserve." Hiashi turned his attention towards the other side where the mother of Hyuuga Ume smiled at him. Although her own tears had not subsided yet, she bowed as well in apology. "Please forgive _us _for not being there to protect Hinako-sama."

"Everyone… you have my most sincerest gratitude."

Sarutobi smiled at the scene before him. Despite the heartbreak that this clan had suffered, they proved that they were indeed one of the strongest in the village by not allowing themselves to fall so readily into despair. He could see, in each of those blurry pale orbs, the burning Will of Fire was strong as any in the village.

Smiling, he silently got up from his seat and quietly made his way out. _'Perhaps… all hope shall not be lost.'_

**owo**

Hinako was tired. There was no other word to describe how her body screamed for a chance to finally slip into unconsciousness. However, she would not allow herself to drift into the escape that was her unconsciousness. She had already paid that price when she feinted, only to find herself a prisoner to one of Konoha's greatest traitors. Now, she found herself, along with both Hikari and Ume, bound by a seal that locked their movements. As if that did not prove soul-rending enough, they were forced to watch as Orochimaru continued with his twisted experiments upon the young Jinchuuriki.

The Hyuuga consort flinched and looked away as another blood-curdling scream rang out from where Orochimaru was experimenting. It pained her to be bound and helpless while a child, an innocent child was forced into so much pain. Her maternal instincts, fresh from her giving birth to Hanabi, were screaming for her to kill the one responsible for the young boy's pain.

"H-Hinako-sama…" Hinako immediately returned her attention to Hikari, who had just woken up. "Hinako-sama… where are we? The last thing I remembered was feeling this fear wind up within me and then I-"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

The young Hyuuga immediately stopped and turned her attention towards the operating area in front of her. From what she could see, two men were currently operating on a small individual. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. There… there was so much blood! The stench of blood even overrode the faint smell of disinfectant that she could barely make out.

"H-Hinako-sama!" Hikari's form was slowly beginning to shake in fear. "W-who are those people?"

"Orochimaru." The young Hyuuga visibly stiffened as memories from the night before assaulted her. "And the one whom they are operating on is little Uzumaki."

"No…" her voice came out in little more than a whisper. The small blond whom she had seen on occasions was the one being operated on? She had heard of Orochimaru and his human experiments. To think that he would now do it to someone she had seen sickened her.

"What do we do Hinako-sama?"

"I don't know…" Hinako bit her lip and looked down. "There are no one in the village capable of defeating Orochimaru save for the two other Sannin and Hokage-sama himself. Moreover, I doubt that we can escape easily in this place."

"Uuuu." Both Hinako and Hikari turned and looked towards their left. Before them, Ume slowly began to rise from her position on the ground. She tried to move but immediately found that her limbs were shackled. "W-what? What is this? Hinako-sama? Hikari? What's going on?"

Hinako merely closed her eyes in sadness while Hikari explained the situation. "We have been captured by Orochimaru… we don't know where this place is."

To her credit, Ume did not break down in denial as both Hinako and Hikari had expected. Instead, she merely looked down onto the floor below her in silence.

"Oh forgive me Hinako-chan. I have neglected you and those two young Hyuugas haven't I?" All three snapped up and met the grinning face of Orochimaru. What shocked them the most, however, was the large amount of blood that was on his surgical clothes. Panicking, Hinako swept her eyes onto the operating table and quickly activated her _Byakugan. _

What she saw was the bloody figure that scarcely resembled the little blond she had seen from time to time. It looked like someone had taken the skin from his chest to torso and literally ripped it off, revealing his bleeding muscles and sinews.

"Kukukuku… there is no need for you to worry Hinako-chan. The boy's little _tenant _will be healing him shortly."

True to the sannin's words, steam slowly began to rise from the boy's body. To Hinako's bewilderment, the areas where the skin had been ripped off slowly began to regrow itself, turning out fine, unblemished skin. It seemed that the demon did not want to die as well.

"Now… who shall I start with?" Hinako snapped back to Orochimaru's direction. The snake sannin was staring at the two younger Hyuugas and chuckling to himself. Both Ume and Hikari looked at him with fear in their eyes and subconsciously tried to get away.

Suddenly, the snake sannin reached down and gripped Hikari's wrist tightly in his hand. His chuckles grew louder as the young Hyuuga winced in pain. "Yes… you shall do nicely."

"No!" Ume tried to get up but the chains bound her steady. "Stay away from her!"

"Kukukuku…this little specimen will be part of a _special _experiment." Orochimaru undid the chains and hauled Hikari up by her arms. His long, snake-like tongue drifted down to the trembling Hyuuga and licked her cheek in a twisted form of perverseness. "Very special indeed."

"You-!" Before Ume could do anything, she was suddenly backhanded across the face, sending her crashing to the floor and crying out in pain.

"Ume!" Hikari tugged against the sannin's grip but it was useless. He was far too strong. Orochimaru merely grinned and began to tug the young Hyuuga out of the room, ignoring her screams. "Ume! Hinako-sama!"

"…" Hinako narrowed her eyes angrily at Orochimaru. Her _Byakugan _flared heatedly against the dimly lit room, blasting the sannin with her killing intent. However, Orochimaru merely chuckled and kept walking, completely shaking off her killing intent. She angrily cursed herself for her weakness. Now, because of it, a person that she considered to be a surrogate daughter is being taken for that man's twist experiments.

"Hikari…" The older Hyuuga gazed at the younger girl in silence, lamenting her own inability to protect them.

Ume latched on to the older Hyuuga, sobbing silently in her arms. It wasn't fair. To her, Hikari was the kindest girl she had ever known and now, she was being used for experimentation. It wasn't fair at all.

**owo**

It was dark from within the Hyuuga compound and not many people would stay awake at that time. The solitude provided the necessary companion that Hiashi needed so that he could finally brood over the loss of his wife and the two girls he saw as daughters. It was far too sad to go back to bed without the unconscious warmth that his wife would generate and Hiashi himself could not help but stay awake.

Orochimaru, the traitorous _Sannin,_ had overpowered him seemingly without an effort. To think that he was one of Konoha's worst enemies was something that the Hyuuga clan head was not looking forward to acknowledging. Yet, he could not do a thing about it. He, the Hyuuga clan head, could not do a thing against the snake and before he knew it, that man had stolen those precious to him.

'_Hinako… my dear wife… please forgive me for being too weak._

"Father?"

Surprised, Hiashi whipped his head around towards the opening. Almost immediately, his eyes fell upon a surprised looking Hinata. Mentally, he cursed himself for delving so deeply into his thoughts. Had there been an assassin, he would not have known until the proverbial knife was literally on his throat.

"Hinata." He struggled to maintain calmness in his voice. "What is the matter? You should be in bed and asleep."

The five-year-old heiress looked down almost in embarrassment. Even that small gesture reminded him of his beloved wife who, in their youth, had been just as shy if a little more enthusiastic in certain things. His heart sang with pain. Hinako was not with him. The traitorous snake took her from him, from everyone.

"A-ano…" Hiashi returned his attention towards his daughter, who was fidgeting slightly with the hem of her yukata. "I-I couldn't sleep. Mother would always sing a lullaby but she wasn't there today. D-did something happen?"

Something did happen. Hiashi almost wanted to scream it out in frustration. Your mother was taken away from all of us! However, he kept his mouth shut, observing his timid daughter who grew more and more embarrassed as time went on. Finally, he spoke up in an emotionless tone. "Your mother will not be singing lullabies to you any longer. Learn to grow up Hinata. You cannot expect someone to keep singing you to sleep every night can you?"

Hinata pursed her lips, obviously disliking what he was saying. "But-!"

"Go to bed Hinata."

"But-!"

"Did you not hear me?" Hiashi's eyes hardened into a pair of frosty orbs and the room suddenly became denser. Unbeknownst to both Hiashi and Hinata, he was emitting a very low amount of killing intent and while it did not cause her to feint, it frightened Hinata terribly to be on the receiving end of it.

"You are the heiress to the Main Family. You are expected to follow orders until you are old enough to give them yourself. Now this is an order issued by Hyuuga Hiashi to Hyuuga Hinata: Go to bed and erase any foolish notions you have of your mother ever giving you those lullabies again!"

Hinata literally jumped at the sound of her father's ice-cold voice. Her entire body was shaking horribly as she looked up towards her father with wide, fearful eyes. Tears quickly sprang up from those innocent lavender orbs but she ducked her head and bowed towards her father before running out of his room in obvious distress.

Hiashi kept the cold façade for a good while and only after he was sure that Hinata was out of his _Byakugan _range did he even allow himself to sag back into his weary self. He truly did not mean to frighten his little Hinata so terribly but seeing her acting so meek, so innocent, it reminded him so much of Hinako that he wanted nothing more than to swipe at that face for being such a amazing mirror. It pained him. Not only was his beloved wife gone from life, but also his little daughter bore such a strong resemblance that even looking at her causes pain in his heart.

"…It is for her own good." He spoke up softly, as if to reassure the quiet night sky. "She is kind, caring, and loving. Many will see this as either a sign of weakness. Orochimaru took three examples, my wife and both Hikari and Ume. Hinata will need to grow strong both emotionally and physically if she is to survive in this world."

Despite what he was saying, Hiashi could barely ignore the twists his heart would go through as he utter each and every syllable. It was as if his very being was rejecting the idea but he remained firm. He stare up towards the night sky and made a promise to treat both Hinata and Hanabi as nothing more than 'potential heiresses'. He will look on not as Hiashi, their father, but as Hyuuga Hiashi, the clan head.

From where he was sitting, Hiashi noted the sudden absence of chirpings and croaks of the natural animals that made their home in his pond. It was as if they disapproved of his resolve almost as much as his heart was. Hiashi remained silent as he stared up towards the silent white moon, looking for the answers that were not present, looking for the signs that were not shone, looking for the hope that was not there.

**owo**

**A/N: Well there goes another chapter. I hope you guys liked it as it was a definite pain to write. Pairing for Naruto has been decided but if you guys want, pairing for Sasuke and Gaara are not completely finalized. If you guys want to choose, then vote. I will go through them and see if they can be plausible choices for the two of them.**

**Review and give some ideas on what could be done better. My writing has gotten incredibly rusty as I've been incredibly busy these past few months but I'll try and write as much as possible.**

**-Phoenix**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sup everyone, Phoenix here with a surprisingly fast update. Guess muse was on my side the day before and I spent a long time writing. Can't say that'll be happening again anytime soon as school's starting... ugh.**

**Anyways, on wit the story!**

**owo**

Naruto slowly opened his eyes from within the dim room. Just long has it been since he had felt anything besides pain? Naruto could not even count the number of times where he simply wished that he could die. Yet despite many wounds he had suffered, despite so much blood that had been shed, Naruto's life simply would not be extinguished. He could not even decide if that was a blessing or a curse.

"Ah I see that you're awake Naruto-kun."

The young blond turned his head to his right and immediately met the gaze of an emotionless Yakushi Kabuto. The young teen slid his glasses in place once more and indicated towards a tray besides him. In it, he could see a syringe already filled with a clear liquid. Naruto's already dimmed eyes clouded even further.

"It is time for your next test. Please try and relax this time."

The blond did not even reply. He knew that if he struggled, he would merely be restrained forcefully and in the end, all his effort would be futile. Naruto merely closed his eyes and remained motionless. Soon, he heard Kabuto's footsteps reach closer and closer until he could practically feel his presence being next to him.

"I see you've realized how useless it is to resist Naruto-kun. Now this might hurt a little but I'm sure Orochimaru-sama's latest creation will not kill you."

A slight prickle in his arm signified the syringe injecting its fluids.

And then, pain flooded his system once more.

Naruto's eyes sprang wide open as his entire body began to convulse. His mouth opened in a silent scream as his entire body seared with pain. Nerves that lay dormant from within his body suddenly sprang up as if they were being electrocuted. Bones that fell into obscurity suddenly sprang up with inhuman fissures. Even his mind, which had been dulled with countless atrocities, roared and pounded through his skull as if it was seeking to break free.

"It seems that the concoction is working. _Oyasumi _Naruto-kun."

Naruto, despite his pain, managed to turn his gaze towards the retreating Kabuto. Through the hazy field of pain, he made a promise to seek retribution for what has happened to him. His half lidded eyes narrowed coldly at the retreating medic before finally succumbing once more into the abyss.

**owo**

From outside Naruto's cell, Kabuto suddenly stiffened as an enormous and very potent killing intent pounded through his forehead. Sweat began to build from his body and he tensed in intimidation against the horrifying figure it projected but just as soon as it appeared, it disappeared just as quickly.

He waited for a few moments, searching for any more signs of that previous killing aura. When he found none, he sighed and resumed his way out.

'_Truly… you are growing up to be a very frightening child Naruto-kun.' _Kabuto could only shake his head as the final remnants of his fear drifted into the back of his mind. As he made his way through the long corridor, the young medic-nin allowed his mind to drift towards the two subjects that Orochimaru saw fit to experiment on.

Uzumaki Naruto, the container for the _Kyuubi no Kitsune, _was probably the most perfect test subject one could hope for. While his body by itself was quite fragile, nearly all experiments performed on Naruto would heal a few days later, proving the amazing capabilities of the fox's regeneration.

However, there were definitely some experiments that left some very peculiar side effects. Kabuto could still remember the very first experiment that Orochimaru had performed on the boy. It was a new technique trapped in the form of a seal that he had developed in the hopes of obtaining 'Everlasting Youth'. But instead of making the body grow younger, the seal actually accelerated his growth. By the time the seal had been taken off, Naruto had actually aged a full year.

That was probably the first time Kabuto had ever seen Orochimaru give such a pleased smile. While he does not hope to even comprehend what goes through the snake's head, Kabuto had a feeling that the technique would be used more and more as time grew on.

"And yet… something doesn't feel right." Kabuto narrowed his eyes and allowed his memory to drift back onto the young blond. Although he became more docile after learning how futile it was to struggle. However, there were rare moments where his killing intent alone was enough to freeze Kabuto in his tracks. He knew that it was not the Kyuubi as the chakra being emitted was pure human and yet, that volume coupled with that berserker rage was enough to match Orochimaru on a bad day.

"…Orochimaru-sama can be breeding a monster for all we know." Kabuto merely shook his head and looked down on his clipboard. His face soon broke out in a pleased smile as he read the name that was next.

"Hyuuga Hikari."

The other 'experiment' that Orochimaru had pursued was trying to pursue a theory he developed. There had been rumors in the ninja world of just which _doujutsu _evolved from which. Orochimaru, thinking that the _Sharingan _was evolved from the _Byakugan_, took away the Hyuuga to be experimented on but after the development of that aging seal, the young Hyuuga girl was made to serve another purpose: Breeding.

'_And it is experiments like these that I prefer to stay.' _Kabuto can only allow a dark chuckle to escape his throat as he remembered the 'experiment' quite vividly. After all, he was the one honored with 'deflowering' the Hyuuga. Seeing her tearful expression from that time coupled with the sheer joy of being so dominant had awakened the 'old blood' from within him. He hadn't stopped until she was very much in to her unconsciousness.

He stopped and looked up towards the door in front of him. Kabuto smirked upon reading the experiment number on the door before opening it.

Inside, the strapped form of Hyuuga Hikari immediately glared at him from where she was. Kabuto chuckled and walked over towards her. He then leaned down and gently stroked her bloated stomach, causing an involuntary shiver to run down the girl's frame. "And how," he murmured. "is _our _child doing?"

Her response was immediate. The retaining bed actually shook with the force she used to free herself but the straps on her limbs were doing their job well. She was not going anywhere anytime soon. Kabuto merely smirked and waved a finger mockingly towards her. "Ah ah ah…" he admonished. "You shouldn't be trying to hurt yourself, not when you are so ready to give birth to _our _little baby."

"She's not _our _baby!" Hikari snapped back. "She's mine! There is no way I can allow a child, any child, to be left with the likes of you!"

Her head snapped to the side as she was struck with a violent blow.

"Oh dear me. You must forgive me. My hand had just slipped that moment." Kabuto grinned darkly as he cupped her chin, forcing her to look directly at him. "Now what was it that you were saying?"

Hikari responded by spitting on his face. The blood mixed with the saliva splattered on his cheek and dripped down but Kabuto ignored it.

"You may have given me this child in the worst way possible but she is still _my _child!" Hikari gritted her teeth in anger. "And there is no way you can get her either than over my dead body!"

"Oh… is that all it will take?" Kabuto's grin widened upon seeing her suddenly stiffening even more. "I'm sure that can be arranged. Good day to you my dear." The light haired medic-nin then walked out of the room, completely ignoring the sudden growth of fear and despair from within.

"Next on the list is…"

**owo**

Hyuuga Hinako opened her eyes as the darkness of the room lightened up. From where the door was, she could see the familiar form of Yakushi Kabuto looming over her. Mentally, she cursed the man once more for having stolen Hikari's innocence. However, she was unable to do anything at all. The chains that bound her stopped her from doing anything hostile to the teen.

"Uh…" Next to her, Ume stirred restlessly against the light that broke through the darkness. When she opened her eyes again, they looked around, dazed, before settling on Kabuto's silhouette. "You…"

"How are you two doing today? Orochimaru-sama would be very displeased if he were to learn that our two guests would die without us noticing."

Hinako narrowed her eyes angrily. Her fists immediately clenched themselves in anger at the mocking tone Kabuto used. Seeing this, Kabuto shook his head and sighed. "Anger does not suit one such as yourself. Try and calm down a little Hyuuga-sama."

"You!" Ume tried to get herself free but the manacles held firm. Kabuto swiveled his eye towards the young Hyuuga and smirked.

Almost immediately, Ume began to struggle harder than ever. She needed a chance, small as it can be, to get to that man and utterly destroy him. However, there were no chances and even as the silver haired youth walked over towards her with that belittling smirk of his, she knew that her chances of striking him were slim to none.

And so, even though Kabuto jerked her face upwards to meet his cold eyes, her arms fell limp to her side. Still, she maintained her defiant stare and refused to look away from the one who raped Hikari. The silent stares continued for a small while until Kabuto, obviously losing interest, released his hold on her cheek and instead, backhanded her harshly.

Ume gave a silent gasp as her entire body fell to the side from the force of his blow. As she struggled to get up, Kabuto reached down and grabbed a fistful of her raven black hair and yanked her face upwards to meet his eyes once more.

"I do not appreciate those eyes of yours little Hyuuga." His already cold onyx orbs hardened even more. "Know your place in this world."

"You-!" Before Ume could continue, Kabuto backhanded her once more. He gave a cruel smirk when some blood began to pool from the Hyuuga's mouth. However, before he could continue on his fun, the killing intent in the room suddenly flared to life. The medic-nin stiffened and immediately turned his attention towards the Hyuuga Matriarch.

Hinako's eyes were blazing with her activated _Byakugan _and although the manacles were searing with chakra suppressing seals, her chakra was flaring so highly that it could be seen all around her. Kabuto immediately stiffened and backed off from the wounded Hyuuga.

"Now, now." He held up his hands in what he hoped was a placating manner. "Anger really does not suit you Hyuuga-sama."

The 'placating manner' only served to infuriate her even more. Hinako's _Byakugan _flared with anger and the manacles around her wrists and ankles began to vibrate with the force of her chakra.

"Leave." Although her voice came out as just a whisper, the killing intent that was pounding against Kabuto's skull made it very clear what she wanted from him. The medic- nin hastily scribbled some recordings onto the clipboard and moved along. Although he was often hailed as a talented shinobi, Kabuto himself knew his limits. Testing them against an enraged Hyuuga Matriarch was not a very wise choice, especially when the chakra suppression seals were clearly being hard pressed to hold in her chakra.

"Ch…" As soon as he was out of the room, Kabuto narrowed his eyes and slammed his fist onto the opposite wall. Neither the pain that followed nor the sudden collapse of the wall did anything to improve his mood as he stormed off towards his research room.

**owo**

Hyuuga Hinata carefully checked herself in front of the mirror in her room, looking for anything that would look out of the ordinary to those that will be seeing her from now on. Although she was a shy girl, and one who will most likely stay quiet for years to come, she definitely wanted to make a good first impression on whomever she will be meeting. She didn't want anyone else to think of her being weak.

The young heiress winced at some past memories and rubbed her arms as if to remember what had happened from before. Her clan had already labeled her slow progress in the _Jyuuken _as a sign of a failure and as such, trainings were made even more intense in an effort to at least grow some talent from within her, even though she knew that it was probably useless.

However, what awaited her were not the forbidding walls of the Hyuuga Clan.

What awaited her was the new life in the Shinobi Academy.

Even if it were to be impossible for her to achieve any talent in the title of heiress, she figured, at least she would be able to perhaps be of some use to other people during missions. Hinata perked up a bit at that. _'Yes.' _She thought with optimism. _'I can try and help others… even if I am just a failure.'_

Hinata shook her head to clear the invading depression. She quickly slipped on her scandals and made her way out of the building, stopping only to pray to the picture of her mother. "…Well then. I'll be off mother."

The young Hyuuga walked out of the compound and after sliding the door from behind her, hurried out towards the Academy.

As she made her way through the streets that led to the Academy, Hinata could not help but remember back onto the time when she would be able to walk down these roads with perfect contentment onto her face.

That felt like an eternity ago.

Hinata bit her lip as memories of past happiness emerged from within her subconscious. Back then; everything had been full of happiness and joy. Back then; she had the love of her mother and father.

Now, her mother is gone, presumed dead, and her father sees her as nothing more than a failure onto the clan's legacy. The elders, who had always viewed her from a distance with what she thought as apathy, regarded her as a weakling, who is unfit to bear the mantle of heiress and many even began to speak of labeling her younger sister as the heir while moving her into the branch family.

Hinata blinked and stopped her running. Her small delicate hands slowly felt up her cheeks and to her surprise, what greeted her fingers were trails of warm liquid. Was she crying? Hinata shook her head and rubbed her eyes furiously in an attempt to stop the tears. Yet despite her efforts, the tears kept pouring out. Hinata was glad that there was hardly anyone on the streets. If any of them caught her crying so freely, she would be shamed for life.

Hinata didn't like it. The tears, the loneliness, the loss of her mother, the coldness of her father, even the lost of her own will. She wanted someone to be there for her. Despite what may happen should she be caught doing so, Hinata desperately wanted a shoulder to cry on. She wanted someone to take away the loneliness that plagues her heart.

"_Hey… what's wrong?"_

The young Hyuuga snapped her head upward; horrified that someone had finally seen her crying. However, when her eyes focused upon the one who spoke to her, she couldn't believe what she saw.

Standing before her, in a loose beige shirt and black shorts, was a boy whom she had seen numerous times walking through this very street. His body was small, even for his age, belying innocence to his form that made many think him to be younger. His clothes looked worn, as if they had been through many things before finally given to the boy to wear. His bright sapphire eyes stared back at her with confusion and although they appeared large and naive, there was a definite darkness into his eyes, as if he had experienced so much already in his young age. Etched upon both sides of his cheeks were three whisker-like birthmarks, which, in her opinion, made him look cute. Finally, his golden blond hair spiked around in a messy tumble, as if to illuminate the sun's rays.

Hinata found herself transfixed as the boy cocked his head to the side in a questioning manner. She knew the boy from somewhere. Although it has been such a long time since she has seen him, a name fluttered from just below the surface. Hinata closed her eyes in thought. His name was… his name was…

"_My name's Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name?"_

That's right. Hinata opened her eyes again and for the first time in a while, she gave out a warm smile. She remembered the kindness that he had given her in the past, how he would play with her as if titles did not matter. Most of all, she remembered the smile that he had. It was so radiant that it resembled the sun in all its glory.

'…_Naruto-kun…'_

The boy's suddenly turned mischievous. He turned around walked away before turning back towards her and beckoning her with his hands.

"_Come on! I want to show you something!"_

He suddenly disappeared around the corner and perplexed, Hinata followed after him. It was difficult to catch up to the young blond as he seemingly disappeared and reappeared in places one would not think possible. Still, Hinata managed to always keep him in sight and was never too far behind in her pursuits.

"_Come on! We're almost there!"_

Hinata panted as she kept running after the elusive blond. They had been running for some time now and although some would marvel at her stamina, Hinata knew that she was already at her limit. Still, she continued pursuing the blond, her face set upon a determined expression. Soon, streets and shops became little more than blurs as she focused solely on following the blond.

"_Haha good job Hinata-chan! Look around, we made it!"_

Hinata immediately stopped and bent forward in an attempt to catch her breath. She panted again and again as the sweat slowly dripped from her face and onto the ground from below. Yet, to her surprise, a gentle breeze swept past her, cooling her rather quickly. Hinata slowly straightened up and looked around to see where she was.

Her mouth opened up and she gave out gasp.

All around, there were trees thick and tall, surrounding the area where she was in. At the very center, a rocky shore gave way to beautiful looking river that shone brightly in the sunlight. The churning of water then prompted Hinata to look a little more to the right and her heart fluttered at the sight of a magnificent looking waterfall churning out sparkling clear water.

"_It's beautiful isn't it?"_

Hinata looked to her side and stared at the form of the little blond who led her to the secret place. Naruto was grinning at her, seemingly proud of knowing of such a beautiful place. Hinata smiled. She remembered now. It was from their first meeting that Naruto had led her towards this place and it was here that he proclaimed her to be his first friend. Tears sprang up from her pale lavender eyes and Hinata bowed her head to wipe them off as quickly as possible.

"_Hey what's wrong?"_

A gentle weight, filled with warmth, lightly fell upon her head. Hinata looked up, still trying to wipe her tears. Naruto was right in front of her, rubbing her head awkwardly with one of his hands. Hinata looked back down, ashamed that she revealed a weakness towards someone. Even when it came down to holding on to her emotions, she failed miserably.

"_Hey… it's okay."_

Hinata looked up once more. Naruto was smiling at her and at that moment, she was reminded of just how warming his real smile was. She quickly wiped away the remainder of her tears and gave the boy a grateful smile.

Then, it suddenly occurred to her that Naruto's form looked off. For some reason, the light on his skin shown even more brightly than what can be considered natural. Also, he did not even look any different from the first time she had met him nearly a year ago.

"_Ne… Hinata-chan… this will be our little secret okay?"_

Naruto grinned once more and suddenly, Hinata understood. Tears slowly sprang up towards her eyes once more but she made no move to wipe them away. Instead, her smile grew as her heart sang in both longing and joy. She closed her eyes in gratitude towards him and gave a silent whisper. "Thank you."

When she opened her eyes again, Naruto was gone, as if he was never there.

**owo**

Hyuuga Hinako slowly opened her eyes from within the dark room. All around her, the dampness of the walls gave way to the monotonous sound of dripping water. The darkness from within the room seemed to grow and distort, bearing the appearances of horrifying beasts straight from a person's nightmares. The Hyuuga immediately closed her eyes again. It has been much too long for her being inside the room. Every second being alive, every second being stuck within the room, it just reminded her that a person that she cared for was going to have her only child experimented on. It pained her to think that she was powerless to do anything about it.

"…Hinako-sama…" The Hyuuga matriarch immediately activated her _Byakugan_, glancing towards the general direction of the voice. There, lying a few feet from her was Hyuuga Ume, who was also activating her _Byakugan._ Hinako stayed silent for a bit but thought better and replied quietly. "Yes Ume-chan?"

"…Today is the day isn't it?" Hinako nodded and Ume's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "It's not fair… Hikari-neesan shouldn't have to deal with this… why does Kami-sama hate us so?" Ume's form curled up into a ball and she began to shake as soft sobs echoed through the room. Hinako stayed quiet, not trusting herself to speak either. However, she did shuffle a little closer to the grief-stricken Hyuuga and wrapped her arms around her. It was the only comfort she could give.

Today was the day Hikari's child should be born.

"Haa… Haa… Haa…"

"It would appear that the operation was a success Orochimaru-sama. It has the bloodline."

"Haa… Haa… N-no…"

"Good. Take it to the incubation chamber. I shall start my preparations soon."

"N-no… g-give her back…"

"Understood. What shall we do with her? Her nerves are practically destroyed. She cannot fight even if someone were to heal her forever."

"…I have a plan. Her body may be useless now but those eyes… kukukukukuku…"

"My child… give me back my child…"

"GIVE ME BACK MY CHILD!"

Uzumaki Naruto awoke from his troubled slumber to hear a scream of agony and despair. It echoed through the silent halls and reached all the way to his own room, piercing his silence with the sorrow that it held. Someone must have just lost something dear to them. Whoever it was, Naruto felt a sense of empathy for them.

"Oh? What's this? Naruto-kun, you're actually not pretending to be asleep?" The young blonde's head swiveled to the side, immediately falling onto the smirking form of Yakushi Kabuto. His eyes narrowed coldly and immediately, the restraints tightened against the force of his attempts to free himself. Here was one of the reasons why his life in this place had been like nothing but hell.

Kabuto smirked, feeling a sense accomplishment upon seeing Naruto's face. It still never got old whenever the young boy's eyes would grow cold or the way his bindings would strain but never break. It was like watching a beast trying to claw at you only to have a leash pulling it back, reminding it that it was just a captured animal.

"Today will be quite a treat for your Naruto-kun. Don't worry, you'll like it for sure." Before the young blond could reply, Kabuto inserted a familiar syringe into his arm. The last thing he saw was the smirking boy's face before descending once more into darkness.

**owo**

Hinako's eyes snapped open in alarm as the chambers suddenly echoed with a scream of pain. Her eyes widened in horror at the sheer intensity of that pain. It was as if someone's very being was being torn in two. Her mouth parted open in disbelief as she uttered out her name. "Hikari."

"Hinako-sama!"

Ume's voice spoke up harshly, reverberating in the prison room. When the Hyuuga Matriarch looked over, Ume's eyes were lit up with her _Byakugan _and her expression was one of fury. When she spoke, her voice trembled with the rage that was in her.

"What are they doing to Hikari-neesan?"

Hinako shook her head. It was impossible for her to know even with her _Byakugan_. Judging by the length of the echoes, the distance was much too far for her to have any hope of reaching it. Frustration rose up within her at not being able to know what was happening to someone that she treasured so deeply. It angered her that she could do nothing about it.

Suddenly, another scream echoed through the hallways and both Hyuugas snapped up in attention. They knew that voice, for they had heard him before in the streets, protesting to shinobis and citizens alike for their hatred towards him. At that moment, his scream was so full of agony that Hinako closed her eyes and wanted to look away in shame. Just what in the world were they doing to the two of them?

For what seemed like hours, the screams continued, filling the hallways and echoing out in long, tortuous pitches. Hinako closed her eyes and covered her ears, in an attempt to block out the heart-wrenching noise that spilled through their cell.

Then, suddenly the screams changed. Hinako's eyes snapped open and she uncovered her ears as she sought to find out what was so different. The noise still echoed continuously through the hall yet, something was amiss, something was not right. But what?

"H-Hinako-sama…" The captive Matriarch returned her attention to young Ume, who was shaking in horror, her eyes wide in desperation.

"I…" Her voice came out choked and tears were welling in her eyes as she spoke. "I can't hear Hikari-neesan's voice anymore…"

Hinako stilled and immediately returned her attention to the screams. Desperately listening for any sign of Hikari's voice. But it was impossible. Hikari's screams had completely disappeared and that in itself was terrifying to Hinako. A feeling of dread began to well up from within her and she desperately tried to find any means to ensure Hikari's safety.

Nothing worked and Hinako was left listening to waning screams of the little Uzumaki and the soft cries from Ume, feeling utterly and completely helpless.

**owo**

Hinata was not sure what to do when she suddenly came face to face with two other girls from the academy. They were Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, a pair of cute girls who seemed quiet popular amongst everyone in their class, always chatting with a group of girls or having fun playing some games. Hinata herself felt perhaps a little bit of envy for their popularity.

Of course, she was incredibly embarrassed when they addressed her as "Hyuuga-sama" and maybe just a little incensed. Simply calling her 'Hyuuga' and not 'Hinata' was like speaking with anyone in her clan. She felt like they were addressing to her, heiress to the clan, not to her, Hyuuga Hinata, as an individual being.

But of course, she was too shy to speak of that.

After the rather awkward introductions, the trio had spoken much of what they wanted to have in life. Or rather, both Haruno and Yamanaka had while she mostly listened. But then, suddenly, the conversation shifted about to another person in their class, being Uchiha Sasuke.

The conversation, to be rather blunt, was absolutely boring to Hinata.

She did not like listening about the constant 'amazing qualities' of the Last Uchiha, especially not in the ways that the two kept pronouncing them in such loud tones. Then, her boredom and irritation turned to absolute bewilderment when the two began to fight amongst themselves, screaming at each other for even attempting to take 'Sasuke-kun'. Clearly, they had forgotten that she was there as well.

So, Hinata was left feeling absolute bewilderment when the two girls began a practical screaming contest amongst one another before huffing and walking away. It was truly an odd spectacle to observe.

But, watching the two of them bickering over the Uchiha, allowed Hinata to remember a person who probably would have understood her more, to the point where his brash attitude would have simply told those girls to shut up for her.

Messy, sun-kissed hair and bright blue eyes were what Hinata remembered clearly. The next were those cute whisker marks that adorned both sides of his face. Last, Hinata remembered the smile, so bright and full of life that it left her in awe the first time she saw it.

Uzumaki Naruto… though she barely knew him, Hinata was certain that they would have been close friends. She remembered the kindness he displayed to her, how he had been there when she was crying, believing herself to be hated. She remembered his kind words and the actions he took to help make her feel better.

And it is this knowledge that hurt her most.

Naruto had been missing for some time now, close to a year. He was not in the usual hiding spots that he had showed her before and even now, not even the Hokage knew of his exact locations, something that scared her. She wanted to see him again, to be able to smile and feel happiness again. Yet, the sunshine was lost along with him and try as she might, Hinata could not truly bring much joy to herself any more without him.

It was sad to know and even more sad to find just how much she missed his company.

**owo**

Yakushi Kabuto sighed with a profound sense of weariness as he slowly made his way towards a bridge in the outskirts of their secret base. Although the experimentation had been successful and had been an absolute joy to watch, he had his limits too. Two whole days of constant monitoring without any soldier pills or the likes to help keep him awake really left him feeling tired.

Still, he cannot complain with the results.

Now, Uzumaki Naruto had probably an 'upgrade' , per-say, to his condition. Though Kabuto had expressed doubts on controlling the Kyuubi container, Orochimaru had ensured that the placing of the curse seal would override any form of disobedience that he may harbor. The only reason why Naruto was not given the curse seal then and there was because of his extremely unstable condition at the moment.

His life is very near to an end and though it is either him or the Kyuubi inside that keeps his body intact, there is about a fifty percent chance that he would not make it, despite the incredible healing factors in which he possesses. Therefore, adding the Curse seal, which already had a high mortality rate, would practically throw away any of his chances to survive and losing a valuable specimen was something that neither Kabuto or Orochimaru really wanted to give.

Kabuto was broken away from his musings as he finally reached the bridge. He paused for a moment, looking down at the portfolio in his hand, checking over its contents, before making his way to the middle of the bridge.

Almost immediately, Kabuto felt something cold and long, like a snake, slither its way up his body.

"You're late." A voice, flat, gruff, and cold, sounded extremely close to him and Kabuto turned around to see who it was. His eyes widened in realization and he immediately dropped to a bow, a sign of respect.

"Please forgive me." He replied evenly. "I had to cover some of the more delicate matters of our new ward to ensure his survival."

"Indeed…" The voice, though flat and cold, sounded like it was not very pleased at all. "Trust the snake to go ahead and further his own ends instead of that of Organization. Tell me. Is the Kyuubi container alive?"

"For the moment."

"Good. Hand over the information. I want to see what he has been doing with it."

"Yes sir."

For a while, nothing was said as the figure examined the carefully detailed information on the experiments done on Uzumaki Naruto. The cloaked figure kept screening through mostly, though he made note of potential interests, before falling onto the last page and the most recent experiment done.

"…" Kabuto suddenly tensed as the air was laid thick with killing intent. His eyes widened his body began to sweat profusely at how dense the atmosphere suddenly became. He had almost forgotten how deadly his master could be when he becomes angered.

"So… that snake dares try and meddle with the Organization? Our leader will be most displeased with this betrayal." The figure turned his attention back to the shuddering young ninja. "As for you, when you are certain that Uzumaki's condition is stable, return him and the two captives back to Konoha, away from the snake."

"…sir?"

"Are you questioning me?"

The air became dense once more and Kabuto quickly shook his head in fear. He quickly bowed and acknowledged his superior. "As you wish, Sasori-sama."

"…Come to think of it, take that little infant with them as well."

That stopped Kabuto completely. The youth stared at his master, obviously in shock. He began to sputter out a way to keep the infant when suddenly, the freezing touch of that tale wrapped itself around his body, squeezing lightly, but the killing intent flared and narrowed, condensing onto his spot. Kabuto felt enough tightening in his chest to stop himself from breathing. His eyes bulged and his pores worked overtime as sweat poured out of his body like raindrops.

"I will not hear another word of insubordination or your head will be the price."

When the tail was released, Kabuto gasped for air and quickly bowed before his master. He then quickly ran back to the hideout, obviously in fear of his life and determined to carry out the order.

From back at the bridge, Sasori watched his puppet quickly return to the hideout, his eyes narrowing in that direction. "This is the last of your meddling former teammate." He muttered coldly. "I'll make sure that by the time I am done with you, you won't even be fit to clean my works or the dirt on my feet you traitorous snake."

**owo**

**A/N: Well how do you guys like it? In the next chapter, Naruto and the two Hyuugas will be back to Konoha. I had initially planned on extending it to a fifth chapter but I doubted anyone would have liked me dragging it out so much.**

**Well, review and tell me what you guys think.**

**See ya guys soon,**

**-Phoenix**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ugh... tired tired and more tired... geez I feel like I could sleep the whole week away and still won't feel awake. But, after much painstaking work for me, the next chapter is up. Dunno when the next one will come up as school's started and all. I'll try to post another next week but I definitely make no promises.**

**By the way, thanks for the review everyone, though most of them seems to be telling me to update soon... haha. Can't help it. Writer's block and a lot of other factors get in the way. I DID say that the fast pace chapter from last time was like one in a million.**

**Bah, enough rants for me, on with the story.**

**owo**

Kabuto was silent as he made his way into the incubation chamber

Kabuto was silent as he made his way into the incubation chamber. There, sleeping without a care in the world, was his… _child_. Her eyes were closed and her body unmoving. The only indications that she was even alive were the small rise and falls of her chest. Kabuto stared at the baby girl emotionlessly. To him, she was nothing more than an experiment, and an enjoyable one to conceive for that matter. Still, orders from his master were absolute. Though he would not like it, he will follow it to the end.

Therefore, Kabuto quickly took the child from the room, being careful to check for any monitoring devices. Yet, even his watchful eyes had missed the small garden snake that was in the corner, watching all that had happened with its yellow serpentine eyes.

**owo**

How long has it been already since she had been stuck inside that prison? How long has it been since she even saw the light of day? Hyuuga Hinako pondered these questions as she swept her gaze in the now familiar settings. Mentally, she went over the daily routine of speaking the number, remembering the previous one from the day before.

"…Three hundred two…" That meant that she had been captured for almost a year. It also meant that it was her daughter's birthday. The Hyuuga matriarch slowly swept her eyes through the room once more, landing for a moment on the unconscious Ume next to her. There was no way out, a fact that she cursed again and again since her imprisonment. However, she felt more than just angry now, she felt furious. It was her daughter's birthday and she could not do anything to be with her. She was powerless in this cell with those chakra bindings upon her.

It had been almost a year already; almost a whole year of lamentation. Hinako could still remember the screams from the day before, not knowing at that time what was happening. Only now, to the next day, had the knowledge been bestowed upon her.

Hikari, a person that she had seen as precious as her own daughter, had her _Byakugan_ forcibly ripped from her skull. The resounding pain, coupled with the destruction of much of her body's nerves, had then killed her but not before her screams had echoed through the entire compound. Then, as if killing Hikari in such a brutal fashion was not enough, Orochimaru then ripped out young Uzumaki's eyes as well. However, instead of letting him die as she had thought, Orochimaru implanted Hikari's eyes onto him.

And so, in a twisted display of his thirst for knowledge, Orochimaru had killed a beloved person and left another to be scarred for the rest of his life.

The Hyuuga matriarch turned her eyes to the side, landing them on a silent Ume. She had been quiet ever since that wretched Kabuto child had given the news.

Not only had that abomination been the reason behind Hikari's crippled state, but he had also been the one to have torn the _Byakugan_ from her still conscious form. Hinako hated him. She hated him even more than Orochimaru. How dare he harm her loved ones so? How dare he fill Hikari with dispair and pain while he gloated and strutted like a rooster?

A soft sigh brought back Hinako from her brooding. Glancing down, she noticed that Ume's shoulders seemed to sag a bit in weariness. No doubt, she was incredibly tired. The previous day's experience was most likely incredibly taxing on her. She needed her rest.

"Hinako-sama..." Ume's soft voice rang out hollow in the dark cell. "What are we going to do?"

Hinako honestly did not know. What _were_ they going to do? She had always looked for a chance, an oppurtunity to free them from this horrid prison. Yet, in nearly a year's worth of captivity, she had not once found a trace of lax in security or problems that she could have exploited. She had swept her gaze through the cell so many times that could probably recite the number of bricks placed on the walls. It was that hopeless.

But of course, she must not show it. If she were to despair, then she could only imagine what Ume would go through, Ume, who became so incredibly insecure since they had been captured. So, she shook her head softly and spoke up in a calm tone. "We wait for our chance. They cannot be so diligent forever. When the time comes and they become more relaxed, we will strike and escape. That is the best bet that we have for now."

Granted, it was really nothing more than placating her and they both knew it. Nevertheless, Ume gave a small smile and nodded. "And when the time comes," Her voice then hardened and her eyes narrowed. "We will take our revenge for what they did to Hikari-neesan."

Hinako was silent, though her eyes did narrow at the hopes of killing that abomination.

Speaking of that abomination...

"Oh? What's this? The two of you aren't as quiet today. What a pleasant surprise."

Both Hinako and Ume stiffened. That voice! They swept their attention to the cells and sure enough, there stood an emotionless Kabuto, watching the two of them with apathetic eyes.

"You!" Ume snarled in anger and hatred, stiffening against he constraints that bound her. Her eyes were wide and flaring with her _doujutsu_ and her _ki _was palpable in the air. "You monster! How dare youshow your face to us! How dare you face us after what you did to Hikari-neesan!"

If anything, Ume's outburst only seemed to have amused him. Kabuto shook his head, adopting a arrogant stance. "You wouldn't understand." He spoke in a patronizing tone. "You cannot understand the joy of furthering our kind. If there are some who are needed as sacrifice for the many, then I would gladly sacrifice them to benefit the many."

"But enough of this. I did not come here to speak with a undisciplined little girl." It was then that Hinako noticed two things. One, he had a wrapped bundle in his arms. Though hiddened, she had a feeling that she knew what that was. Two, he had behind him an unconscious cloaked figure. Hinako trained her eyes on the shorter figure, gaudging just who it could be.

She saw nothing of the face, as the hood did a very good job of obscuring anything. However, Kabuto shifted a little, just enough to move the figure, displaying three prominent whisker markings on either sides of his cheek. Her eyes widened. This was Uzumaki Naruto.

And he looked terrible.

Kabuto, seeing Hinako's gaze, smirked and pulled back the hood, just enough to reveal his face. Upon seeing it, Hinako felt horror well up within her.

Naruto's face was pale, most likely due to the trauma that he had suffered, and also gaunt, indicating malnutrition. His mouth was parted, indicating that he was currently unconscious. When Hinako looked a little higher, she found that thick bandages were wrapped around his eyes, or at least, where they were supposed to be. Hinako's eyes widened in horror upon seeing a line of blood soaking the bandages, leaving a red trail through his heavily wrapped eyes.

"Disappointing really." Kabuto's cold voice caught Hinako's attention. He did not flinch in the least when he felt her_ ki_ spike up. Rather, he continued speaking in that tone, acting as if he was completely bored of the child. "We had hoped that the demon's chakra would have began to accept and reconnect the nerves of her eyes. But rather, the opposite occurred. The demon is downright rejecting the eyes, thus causing pain both to the boy and possible disruption to the eyes that we had worked to hard to... _harvest._"

"No matter, he was the first. I'm sure that Orochimaru-sama will be able to procure a few more experiments here and there." Kabuto grinned at the desired affect. Both Hyuugas tensed, wondering just what he could have meant by those words. Did he mean abducting more Hyuugas, using the two of them, or experimenting on Hikari's child?

Before either could respond do his words, the cell door opened. Hinako tensed, her whole body preparing to lash out against him. But Kabuto's smirk indicated that he already knew what they would act like. He placed a mask onto himself, covering his nose and mouth, before taking out a sprayer with some strange red liquid inside.

"Forgive me for being hasty but my master wanted you two out post haste." Before Hinako could speak, Kabuto sprayed the liquid into the cell, creating a fine mist that settled onto the two Hyuugas.

Because her limbs were shackled, Hinako could not cover her nose or mouth. Holding her breath only prolonged the inevitable. Soon, both her and Ume were forced to breath and immediately; they felt unconsiousness seep into them. The last thing Hinako saw before she fell was the smirking face of Yakushi Kabuto.

**owo**

The narrowed eyes of Hyuuga Hiashi were the only indications of his irritation. All around, people were arguing. Heated words were flying through the room faster than chakra-thrown kunais. It should not have been like this. The council had been gathered by the Hokage to discuss the economic situation that they had unknowlingly placed upon Suna.

The Wind Daimyo in charge of Sunagakure's region had been more and more willing to pay for foreign shinobis, especially those of Konoha, for his work. This left Suna into a depression, with fewer funds necessary to keep a great deal of its military intact. Even worse, the Wind Daimyo went so far as to reduce his already small fundings to the village, further reducing the military size.

Naturally, this led to a stream of protests and delegates from Sunagakure arrived to Konoha, complaining against their continuing dealings with the Daimyo and asking for them to deny some requests. Naturally, this led to the Hokage calling a meeting to decide the fate of Suna's economy.

The council being divided between shinobi veterans and civilians immediately declared their split views.

The shinobi side, many of whom had been veterans of the Third Shinobi War, immediately spoke out their sympathy to Suna, and asking for an immediate denial against the Wind Daimyo's request. They declared that the Suna's Daimyo, being only local lord and therefore, a subordinate of the Wind Lord, would be forced to swallow any form of indignation as Fire Country's military strength was at least three times as strong.

In their views, this would have virtually no reprocussions from their actions and quite the opposite really. Once Suna's Wind Daimyo begins increasing funds to their shinobi village again, and then this would definitely improve relations between the two villages.

Of course, their decision was not accepted at all by the civilian side.

The civilian side, filled with mostly businessmen and representatives, argued that it would be beneficial to Konoha for continued business with Suna's local daimyo. They pointed out that while the daimyo would indeed be forced to swallow any insult, it did not mean that he would immediately return doing business with his village's shinobis. Rather, Suna's daimyo might instead shift his business to another village like Kumo or Iwa, both in poor relations with Konoha.

Therefore, they viewed that should Konoha indeed deny the business, then Suna's daimyo would simply do business elsewhere, prompting bad relations with Suna, who will most likely blame them for simply shifting attention elsewhere. It would be a blow for Konoha then should either Iwa or Kumo, or even both, decide to ally with Suna against Konoha.

The two sides began to argue. Arguments then turn heated as more than one unpleasant comment began to revebrate through the room. Soon enough, arguments gave way to full forced yelling as each side attempted to pound their reason onto the other verbally.

Through this all, Hiashi bore through with his trademark apathetic expression. Yet deep down, he was also beginning to feel the traces of irritation wound up within. And how can he not? The council had not reached a clear decision after nearly two whole hours of constant verbal sparring.

Hiashi turned his gaze over to Sandaime Hokage, seated at the highest seat, and overlooking the shouting with a relaxed, weary position. Every once in while, he would pinch the bridge of his nose, sigh, and take a long drag from his pipe.

It was times like these that Hiashi wondered just why Sandaime had allowed civilians to be in the council since the end of the Third Shinobi War.

While it was true that the civilians' decisions in certain matters had allowed the village to prosper economically and therefore, grow more powerful, they were hopelessly clueless in other matters, becoming incompetent in subjects that should have been easy to consider. Because the council always requires a two-thirds majority in voting, the civilian half, with their incompetence, had kept the council from preforming at its usual efficiency. In fact, with the exception of Yondaime's short-term leadership, the council had reached an all time low in efficiency since the implementing of the civilians.

It was not always like this. Hiashi learned from his grandfather that under the leadership of both Shodai-sama and Nidaime-sama, the council had been compirsed entirely of retired and current shinobis. Though it was true that economic growth was not that strong during those times, the council of that era had finished decisions with impressive efficiency, always being able to agree on matters quickly and usually, it would be the best choice available.

Now, the relative incompetence of the civilian side of the council has led a stagnant in decision-making. Arguments became more and more frequent and the Hokage, being a symbol of Konoha's authority, did nothing to stop it.

Hiashi suspected that a combination of weariness and reluctance is what keeps the Hokage from doing what should be done.

Sandaime-sama had been enjoying his retirement during the near four year reign of his successor, Yondaime-sama. However, when Yondaime-sama died, he was forced to take the mantle of leadership once more and to make it worse, it was in Konoha's depressing state. The Kyuubi had killed many of their shinobis, many families lost their loved ones, and many lost their dreams and hopes for the future.

The Hokage must have been incredibly reluctant to take the job again and therefore, he had grown lenient, no longer as strict. He gave way to more and more strength to the opposing civilians, and they took it greedily. They took advantage of Sandaime's growing age and reluctance to fight, taking chunks of power for themselves and seeking only to benefit their individual selves, not the village as a whole.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed cooly, a pair of icy orbs that stared at the Hokage with a definite hardness. At the rate things are headed, another disaster, with immense sorrow and hopelessness, would arise once more, though this time, it would stem from Konoha's own government and the level of corruption it has fallen to.

Someone needs to remind Old Sarutobi that the mantle of leadership is not to be taken lightly. Someone needs to remind the old monkey just what he needs to do, and once again remember just what being a Hokage means.

And Hiashi already has a plan to do it.

However, it seemed that it would have to wait for another time. The door to the council room suddenly busted open, silencing any arguments that had been going through. Everyone in the council, particularly Hiashi, now had their complete attention on the young Hyuuga branch member, who was breathing hard, most likely having ran from a farther region. They waited patiently for him to catch his breath and when he did, he immediately turned his gaze to meet Hiashi's in an expression of pure bewilderment.

"H-Hiashi-sama! It's Hinako-sama and Ume-sama! They've been discovered at the Eastern Gates!"

Total silence followed the branch member's exclamation as everyone now trained their eyes on the clan head. Hiashi had a look of utter shock on his normally stoic face. Was it possible? Hinako, his beloved wife... was alive?

Hiashi's eyes suddenly narrowed and a dense cloud of ki descended upon council room, causing many to shudder. "I hope this is not some joke. If it is, then you will find the consequences to be most dire."

"I wouldn't be joking about this Hiashi-sama! It was indeed Hinako-sama and Ume-sama! Though... they were unconscious and had two other people with them."

"Who were they?"

The branch member hesitated, obviously feeling discomfort in the information. Yet the small spike in Hiashi's ki more than made up the decision. "Sir... one of them was Uzumaki Naruto yet... he was heavily wounded. When I swept my Byakugan over to make sure that it was him, I noticed that the heavy bandages wrapped over his eyes hid a startling secret: Uzumaki appears to have the Byakugan though the nerves are not yet connected." The branch member immediately bowed his head at Hiashi's furious expression. "I... I can only guess as to where he may have recieved them."

"...and the other person?"

"Sir... the other person was an infant. She... by the looks of it, she may only be about two days old. I also swept through her with the Byakugan... and found that she also has it."

"...I see." Hiashi slowly stood up and faced the silent Sarutobi. "Hokage-sama... I believe this takes top priority over this meeting. If you would excuse me."

Sarutobi's nod was that was needed as Hiashi's form disappeared in a shushin, followed quickly by the branch member. In their wake, they left a stunned and speechless council, unsure if they should pick up where they left off or adjoin the meeting.

**owo**

For some reason, Hinata knew it was an off day. Though she continued the daily monotony, as always, she simply couldn't place the same amount of energy into it as she usually does. It was strange but she simply could not find the strength today. It was as if all of her energy went elsewhere or simply decided to lie low and wait. But for what, she simply did not know.

Of course, it could probably be the droning that this particular day has enacted.

The weather outside was stifling, probably one of the hotter days of the years. It didn't help that the Academy did not have air conditionings, which made the classroom just as hot and uncomfortable.

And sadly, Iruka-sensei's lectures were doing a very good job of increasing the monotony of the classroom.

Now, Hinata always prided herself on being willing to learn, always listening to the lectures of past actions. It had always been interesting to her, especially on the subjects of the Sannin known as Tsunade, who helped make Konoha's medic nins as effective as they are now.

But not even she could stand the heat, the humidity, and Iruka's lectures all at once. Therefore, she found herself zoning out along with the rest of the class.

And her stray thoughts soon fell upon the blond boy who had suddenly disappeared from her life. Uzumaki Naruto… a name that many had often spoken with hate, something she had never understood. Yet, despite what everyone thought of him, despite the many whispers that happened behind his back, he would always laugh it off, showing his bright smile and carefree nature.

It was probably that carefree nature and smile that had drawn her so completely to him.

She had been surprised, seeing such a person being able to ignore his peers with just as much enthusiasm as a winner in a game of tag. The surprise soon turned to admiration as she found that opposition against him came everywhere, even from teachers in the Academy. To her, he was what she wanted to be, yet cannot. He was the absolute opposite to her and it intrigued her.

Only now, with him away for so long, did Hinata even take the time to look over his actions in the past and how he acted in front of those people who belittled him.

And it soon clicked.

Naruto… he was always forcing himself when he chose to ignore the cold stares and whispers. The smile that she had always admired when she saw it on his face had looked incredibly strained. His bright blue eyes, the windows to his soul, would always be shut off from the world, as if he cannot bear to see it. Lastly, his proclamation… of becoming a Hokage, also seemed different, as if he did not even believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

When she noticed all of these, she immediately figured it out.

Naruto's smile and act in front of those people, his seemingly indifferent nature, had all been a clever mask, made to fool people on just what he was truly feeling.

And she had fallen for it, hook-line and sinker.

In fact, Hinata found that the only time his smile had even seemed natural, and so much more beautiful to see, was when he had shown her the small hiding spot that she now claimed as a sanctuary. Back then, his smile was the sun in its warmth and now, when she compared it to his other smiles in public, she found that the warmth, despite his cheerful mask, was never there.

The realization of this was not what truly horrified her. No, what scared her the most was what Naruto was really feeling. From the way that he had acted, how strain his actions had always been, he must have been trying his hardest to ignore whatever people were saying about him.

That could only mean that he was hurting inside, hurting to a degree that she could not even understand. Yet, Naruto obviously did not want them to have the satisfaction of seeing him in that state so over the years, he carefully crafted a mask, one that became better and better at hiding what he was really feeling.

Once Hinata had figured that out, she felt terrible. Not only because she did not know what Naruto was truly feeling, but also because her _Byakugan_, the proud "All-seeing" bloodline of her clan, was not even able to glimpse at his true emotions. It gave her a profound sense of uselessness, that the bloodline often hailed as the most intuitive and perceptive, was not enough to crack through Naruto's mask.

Or more specifically, she simply did not have the necessary strength in her _Byakugan_ to be able to see it, another factor to demonstrate just how weak she really is.

Oh she had denied it at first, wondering just why her father and most of the clan began to call her weak or speak with her at the highest degree of coolness. Then, as the days turned to months, and the months soon begin to reach a year, she found that she no longer had the 'will' to fight their belittlement anymore. She eventually found herself acknowledging their taunts and jeers with her meek nature and bowed head.

It was humiliating but she could do nothing about it. She was that powerless.

"Hyuuga Hinata!"

The young heiress broke off from her depressing daydreams with a start, returning her attention to the front of the class.

There, Iruka-sensei was standing there, watching her with concerned eyes and next to him, a Hyuuga branch member was keeping his eyes trained solely on her, his pupiless eyes revealing nothing.

Perplexed, the little heiress got up from her seat and began to walk down the steps, all the while wondering what could have happened for her to be summoned.

The moment she got down, the branch member placed a hand on her shoulder, leading her out of the classroom. Hinata hesitated, glancing over to Iruka-sensei. However, the scarred man merely gave her a nod, indicating that she had his permission to leave. So, without anything to stop her, Hinata allowed herself to be led out of the room and out of the Academy.

As they walked out of the Academy, Hinata pondered over just what could have happened. The branch member had been completely silent since leading her out, not even telling her what could have happened. She was confused. Why would they lead her out, only to leave her in the dark?

"A-ano..." Hinata felt herself wince at how soft her words came out, something that Hyuugas always frown upon. This was seen by the way the branch member pursed his lips and turned a cool eye down towards her. "W-what has happened?"

"..." The branch member was silent for some time, leading Hinata to believe that he simply chose to ignore her question. Then, when she was about to lower her head back onto the road and resign herself to not knowing anything, he spoke up in a terse tone.

"...Outside Konoha, near the outskirts of our forests, a patrol team had stumbled upon four unconscious people. Two of them were identified as Hyuuga Ume-sama and Hyuuga Hinako-sama. One was an unknown Hyuuga infant and the other..." The branch member hesitated, as if he was about to say something before changing his mind. "-was Uzumaki Naruto."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. Her mother... she was alive? Furthermore, Naruto-kun was with her? How was this possible?

The young heiress quickly returned her attention to road, now seeing that they were making their way to the hospital. Her mind was racing with questions, now seeking answers. Yet, they were all clouded with unmistakeable joy. The two people who had been like the warmth of the sun, the two who left her in a seemingly eternal nightfall, were back.

**owo**

Kabuto was silent as he made his way back to Orochimaru's hideout. He was completely thoughtless and apathetic to what he had done. Nothing broke his barriers and nothing showed in his heart. After all, why should they? The people that he had 'saved' were nothing more than potential test subjects. Furthermore, he was ordered by his master to save them and orders from him were absolute. Therefore, what room was there for him to complain?

No, rather, Kabuto felt like patting himself on the back for being able to leave the hideout with such discreet, especially after having to lug four people around. What's more, he felt like patting himself on a job well done in concealing his presence from the patrolling teams that had stumbled upon his 'gift'.

As Kabuto slipped back through the stone walls that led to Orochimaru's village, he couldn't help but wonder what his master's intentions were to sabotage Orochimaru's plans. Granted, Orochimaru was still a part of the organization known as 'Akatsuki'. In fact, he was there three days ago to help in the sealing of the four-tailed beast.

Of course Orochimaru was looking for something and using the organisation to accomplish it but wasn't the same agenda for all the other members? It was without a doubt that all the other members within Akatsuki were only there to further their own ends so what would Sasori-sama gain from sabotaging Orochimaru's plans?

Kabuto could not think of an answer, even as he stopped in front of his research room. He sighed, suddenly feeling quite tired, and opened the door, hoping for a night of rest.

Unfortunately, his step was stopped by the force of the killing intent that suddenly began pounding into his skull.

Kabuto gasped, suddenly falling down to his knees, as his form began to shake and sweat pour out like beads. His eyes bulged and his veins throbbed with andrenaline as his heartrate increased and his senses kicked in. Almost immediately, his survival instincts popped up, screaming at him at the intruder.

**There is someone in the room.**

**He is very strong.**

**Run.**

Yet Kabuto found that he could not run. His limbs were locked by the sheer force of the killing intent all around and truth be told, he found himself hard-pressed to even be able to breath. It was that terrifying.

"Kukukukuku... well well. So you've finally shown your true colors eh Kabuto-kun?"

The young medic slowly turned his gaze into his room, seeing the dark form of Orochimaru sitting on his chair, his yellow serpentine eyes flashing like lanterns in the night. His smile was maniacal, his form simply oozing with his intention to kill, and his chakra was pouring out in cold, freezing waves.

"I should have known... that when I accepted you into my ranks, that you were a little too skilled to have been a simply prodigy. Kukukukuku... but now, I know who you truly work for."

Orochimaru stood up from the seat and walked over to the kneeling Kabuto, who was looking up at him, as if to apologize for his grave sins. Orochimaru's face broke out in a smile full of insanity and hatred as his hand shout up and grabbed onto the medic's head, squeezing it like melon.

"Trust that pitiful doll to concoct something like this. Kukukukuku but no matter, I still have use for you and whether you like it or not, _I _will be the one whom you call 'master' now."

And the last thing Kabuto saw and heard before his vision darkened, was Orochimaru's flashing yellow eyes and his howling laugh that echoed through the entire complex.

**owo**

**A/N: Ugh... as I was writing this chapter, I found that I messed up the timeline a little. I completely forgot that Orochimaru leaves Akatsuki after Itach slaughters everyone. Well... a little too late now for me to change it and since I don't see how this will affect the plot, I won't edit the parts out. Too tired right now anyways.**

**Well give some reviews, tell me what you think of the story, and above all, tell me if it was good or bad so I can see what was up with it.**

**Also, since no one had voted, save for like one person, I'll just go decide on the pairings for Sasuke and Gaara myself. Don't go voting now cause I already made my decisions.**

**Till next time ppl.**

**-Phoenix**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: ARGH!! Sorry everyone! School starting took up so much time that I feel like a sack of lump potatos write now as I type. That added with writer's block really hindered the progression of this chapter. I hope next one won't be as hard D:**

**Mmmm... anyways thanks for all the reviews and if any of my readers are still around, I'll thank you if you review more to tell me how the story's turning out. And wow, I think that for the most part, this is probably one of the longer chapters I've written in a long time. Kudos for me :)**

**Well I don't want to take more of your time so here: On with the story!!**

**owo**

It was bright, the air was fresh and clean, unnaturally so for someone who had gotten so used to the darkness and stale air.

Hinako's eyes fluttered, feeling the irritation that her now light-sensitive eyes procured. Where... where was she? The room was not brightly lit, probably to help people feel less irritated, but her bed was located next to the window, and sunlight poured through from the windows, bathing her white sheets in an almost ethereal glowing light.

_'Ugh... what happened? The last thing I remembered was seeing Kabuto's smile and...'_

Kabuto!

Hinako's eyes flared open and she immediately looked all around her, where was she? Was she in another enemy camp? If so, why would they treat her so easily? Why was she recovering in a room like this?

Hinako scanned the room, hoping for any leads that could tell her just where she was. The hospital room had the familiar smell of disinfectants, though something like this should be commonplace in all hospitals. Then... where could she be? Hinako felt the need to get up and try looking for any way that she could see a familiar sight. Yet, there were virtually no distinction from this hospital room and the many others that can be seen.

_'Byakugan!'_

Hinako's eyes flared with her active _doujutsu_, her veins now bulging with increased blood flow. Almost instantly, the Hyuuga matriarch winced and diactivated her eyes. The pain that had invaded her senses almost immediately after slowly began to dull, leaving a strange numb feeling on her temple.

What had happened? Why did her head suddenly sprout up in pain the moment she activated her _doujutsu_? Hinako shook her head to try and dispell some of the pounding against her skull.

"H-Hyuuga-sama! You're awake!" Hinako swiveled her head to the voice's direction, meeting a very surprised looking nurse. The nurse quickly bowed before heading over to her, bustling over some of the medical equipments placed there. That was odd. Why would an enemy treat her wit such care? Unless...

"Wait." Mentally, the matriarch winced at how feeble her voice sounded. It made her already soft voice into nothing but a whisper. "Where is this place?"

"Oh that's right. You were unconscious when we found you at the outskirts of the forest." The nurse bowed a bit in acknowledgment. "You are back home Hyuuga-sama. This is Konohagakure no Sato."

This... was her home? Hinako winced as she tried to sit up. For some reason, her entire body was sore and every muscle protested her movements. Apparently, the nurse agreed with her muscles as the in the next moment, Hinako was being fussed over again. "You musn't overextend yourself Hyuuga-sama! Your reports stated that nearly all your tendons and muscles upon your limbs were slit by a chakra scapel. While we were able to heal it, it will still take time for your body to be able to heal the rest itself."

"...This... this is the village?" Hinako could hardly believe. She was back home? How was it possible? Why in the world did Kabuto release them?

Wait... _them!_

"What about the others!?" The nurse jumped at the sudden tone that Hinako adopted. She sounded desperate, frantic. And for good reason. She wanted to know that everyone she had seen with her were safe as well.

"C-calm down Hyuuga-sama! Hyuuga Ume-sama and the unknown Hyuuga are right now merely resting. As for Uzumaki... well he is resting but there is some concern over what certain experiments had done to his mind. He is right now under a dreamless genjutsu."

Now, she was worried. Though Hinako was glad that both Ume and Hikari's child are safe, the unknown condition on little Naruto was a cause for concern. Who knows how much he was actually suffering. Still, at the very least, he is now away from the Serpant's lair and in the safety of Konoha.

"...A-ano... Hyuuga-sama."

"...Hmmm?" The matriarch returned her attention to the nurse, who was fidgeting a little. She waited patiently for the nurse to regain her composure, something that she was grateful for. "Ano... Hyuuga Hiashi-sama is currently waiting outside... would you like to see him?"

Hinako's eyes widened. Hiashi-sama... Hiashi-sama was here? Hinako felt an incredible sense of longing suddenly take over her being. How long has it been since she had seen her beloved husband's face? How long has it been since she had felt the warmth of his touch and the peacefulness of his presence?

Far too long, she decided. He had been gone from her for far too long and she wasn't going to waste another second of it.

"Yes..." She responded quietely. "Please bring him in."

The nurse bowed to her and walked over to the edge of the door. When she opened it, she gave a nod to whoever was waiting before walking away. The person slowly walked in and Hinako felt tears well up in her eyes when she met the gaze of her husband, Hyuuga Hiashi.

"H-Hiashi-sama..." A watery smile bloomed on her face as the tears slowly poured out of her eyes. "...I... I missed you."

"I missed you as well." Hiashi's normally emotionless facade broke as relief flooded his system. He walked over to his long lost wife and without caring for anyone watching, embraced her. "I missed you so much."

She closed her eyes, relishing in the warmth that he gave off. This is what it should be like. She decided. To be able to feel his warmth, his presence, and his love. It was like a light in the end of a dark, dark tunnel. "H-Hiashi-sama..."

"Shhhhh..." Hiashi whispered to her as he stroked her back gently. "It's fine now. You're home."

Home... Hinako gave a small smile at that. After nearly a year of separation, 'Home' sounded amazing to her. She slowly buried her head deeper into his embrace. She wanted to know that this was not a dream, a hallucination. She wanted to see this as real.

"M-mother...?"

Hinako stiffened almost immediately. How long has it been since she heard that soft voice? Far too long. She slowly turned away from her husband and met the wide-eyed figure of her daughter, Hyuuga Hinata.

Oh... she had changed so much in the past nine months. She had grown a bit taller, she now had a different set of clothes, and if anything, she seemed more reserved. Oh how she missed her. Hinako slowly pulled away from Hiashi's embrace, not noticing that he had stiffened the moment Hinata made her arrival.

"Hinata..." She could hardly believe it. Her little daughter had grown so different in the nine months that she had been separated. It... it was so strange. But, she was still her daughter and the love that she felt for her had never diminished. With a smile, she held out her arms open. "Come here. Come here Little Hinata."

Recognition flashed through Hinata's pale lavender eyes yet she hesitated in moving over, something that confused Hinako. Then, she noticed that every once in a while, Hinata's fidgeting would give way as her gaze would switch from her, to Hiashi. Then, she would immediately look back down and fidget once more.

Now, Hinako was not a stupid person. In fact, she is one of the more knowledgeable ones in the field of medical studies. Therefore, she could immediately detect signs of abuse and neglect on her daughter, especially when she was making it so obvious. That, along with the fact that she kept skirting gazes onto Hiashi could only mean that her husband was at least part of the cause.

And that in itself was enough for her stiffen. Whatever love and warmth she had for her husband suddenly cooled down and hardened. Her eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze from her scared daughter and towards her husband, who would not meet her gaze.

"Hinata..." The little girl looked up as her mother spoke up her name. "Please go outside for a moment. I would like to have a talk with your father."

"Ah..." Hinata gave another small glance to her father, who still would not meet her gaze, and gave a small nod. "Y-yes mother."

Hinata slowly closed the door behind her and walked away. She was still partially in shock over the revelation that had come. Her mother was alive. She was not dead like how she was led to believe. But then, that piece of happy information also came with a darker question. Where had her mother been in the past nine months? Why had she suddenly disappeared? More importantly, why was her disappearance also linked with Naruto's.

Naruto...

Hinata suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what had happened. In her worry and bewilderment over her mother's return, she had completely forgotten about Naruto! A new sense of urgency suddenly took over her as she quickly made her way to the receptionist's office.

The nurse in charge looked up, took one look at Hinata, and nodded her head back where she came from. "Hyuuga Hinako and Hyuuga Ume are in that area. If you are looking for them, I'll simply call their room and ask them for permission. Is that alright?"

"A-ano!" Hinata found that she was fidgeting terribly. The look of surprise on the nurse's face at her outburst was more than enough to almost kill the resolve that she had built up. She felt so incredibly embarassed at that moment that she wished a hole in the ground would just suddenly open up and have her fall in.

But, she wanted to see Naruto again. So, she continued speaking, in a more subdued tone.

"I-it's just that I... I want to see U-Uzumaki Naruto."

She closed her eyes and mentally prayed for the nurse to accept that. Seconds passed and Hinata's anxiousness grew. Finally, she slowly peeked open her eyes, wondering just why the nurse was so silent. To her surprise, the nurse was simply looking over a number of files, as if she had not even heard her! Hinata's embarassment flared as her face became beet red.

"A-ano!"

"Ah, here it is!" The nurse gave a relieved smile as she pulled out a portfolio from a rather large stack. She scanned through it for a bit before stopping her finger on a name. "Uzumaki Naruto is at room 304. Simply take the stairs up and it'll be the first room on the right." The nurse looked up, and felt confusion well up in her at the sight of the little Hyuuga girl looking so incredibly flustered. Was something wrong?

Meanwhile, Hinata was mentally berating herself. How stupid could she have been? The nurse was simply looking for his location just as she asked! Yet she thought that her words went unnoticed and was about to bother her even more. Oh... how could she have been so short-sighted?

"Ano... little miss?" Hinata jumped and quickly returned her attention to the nurse before her, who had suddenly leaned forward from her seat and placed a hand on her forehead. "Do you need to have treatment as well? Your face is quite red and warm."

If anything, Hinata's blush of embarassment grew even redder. She quickly ducked down her head and murmured a quiet thanks before quickly walking away from the nurse. Oh... she felt so embarassed.

As she went up the stairs that led to Naruto's room, Hinata couldn't help but think of what she should be saying. What was she to say? It had been almost a year since she had seen him and even then, he had been masking away his sadness in that happy carefree mask. Would he hide behind it again when she sees him? Would she be able to muster the courage to help him? More than anything since her revelation, Hinata had wanted to see Naruto again, to be able to hug him and tell him that it's okay to cry, that it was okay to not hide behind that mask. More than anything, she wanted to tell him that she would be there for him, that he was not alone.

Finally, Hinata stopped in front of Naruto's door yet, almost immediately, she felt hesitation well up in her. She _knew _what to say to him but she was so scared. For all she knew, he could take offense at the fact that she was able to see the mask that from what she could tell, almost no one had been able to look through.

She slowly took a deep breath, closing her eyes and steeling her resolve, to finally to be able to meet him again. Hinata quietly released her breath and with her heart set, slowly opened the door.

And was met with absolute silence.

Whatever words that she had prepared to use to help him... had immediately died in her throat. Hinata could only watch... watch in absolute horror at what laid before her.

This... this was not the same Naruto that she had been able to glimpse back those many months ago.

The young blond laid quietly, apparently asleep, in a large white bed. Yet those white sheets were marred with intricate seals that stretched all the way towards the ceiling. Along those seals, machines were placed all around with tubes that seemed to stick into his hidden body. Finally, his eyes were hidden away behind thick white bandages. Yet even the thickness gave way to two large red spots and the thin lines red stain. Hinata was horrified at the sight. It was as if his eyes were constantly crying blood.

Hinata slowly made her way over towards the unconscious blond, being careful as to not step on any of the seals. When she finally found herself next to his bedside, she glanced at the empty seat before her. Without a moment's hesitation, she immediately took it and now found herself meeting his blind self.

"...Naruto-kun..." Hinata was sad. How was she not otherwise? Naruto looked so miserable in this place. The very air felt heavy, as if someone's anguish was so evident that it could be felt as an 'aura'. Still, he was back. At the very least, he was back. "...It's been almost a year now Naruto-kun. Do... do you remember me? Hinata?"

There was no response though she supposed that she could not expect one.

"So much has happened in the nine months that you've been gone. I found that mother had disappeared along with Hikari-neesan and Ume-neesan. No one would tell me what happened but told me to never think about them again. I... eventually joined the Academy... everyone is so scary... and also there are some that make me mad." Hinata suddenly gave a small smile. "I'm sorry... I suppose I cannot bad-mouth anyone right now when they aren't here. It's rude is it not?"

"...Naruto-kun, do you remember when we first met? I was made of by some girls and ran away, crying. I... I wanted to be alone, to be by myself. Then you came. You're smile was so bright that I was surprised to see it. I wondered then... why would someone I don't know suddenly come out of no where and talk to me? Naruto-kun... you were my first real friend. I'm so sorry. Back then, you comforted me yet I didn't know that you yourself was just like me." Hinata hiccuped softly as tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly covered her eyes with both hands, as to not show him her tears. "It's okay Naruto-kun. I'll try harder now. You don't have to be alone anymore."

And it stayed like for a while. Hinata would simply talk a bit every but it would soon descend into silence. In this period of quietness, she would simply watch Naruto's face, emotionless and nearly featureless with the large bandages. She wanted to hold on to him yet the fear of her touch setting off something always held her back so she stayed like that, simply watching him, hoping that he would recover.

Finally, after what appeared to have been an eternity in their own world, the door opened and in stepped a medic.

Upon seeing the medic, Hinata quickly stood up and murmured an apology. Without even bothering to explain herself, she quickly ran off, her face red from embarassment and a smaller mixture of different emotions.

As the medic watched her run off, he shook his head. "Kids..." he muttered. "Well, nothing I can do about that I suppose. Now... let's see." He returned his attention to the unconscious blond and went through a quick series of handseals. His hand soon began to glow a bright green as he performed a diagnostic check up on the boy.

"...Body wounds are healing at expected rapid pace... Genjutsu effect still in place... chakra coils are performing normally... wait... what's this!?" The medic stopped as his glowing hand was hovering over the large bandages. His eyes widened in surprise at what the medical sonar had detected and immediately, he tapped the earpiece and spoke quickly. "Get Hokage-sama in here, now!"

**owo**

Old Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, could not help but stare at the medic. The words that he had just heard... could they even be possible? "...Please repeat what you said."

"Sir... Uzumaki Naruto's eyes were torn off of his body, that much is true. It is also true that the _Byakugan _of Hyuuga Hikari had been implanted in its place yet from what we had gathered when we first performed the diagnostic, his body had been rejecting the _Byakugan_. That would have explained the deterioration of the eyes. It also would have explained the inflammatory response and the blood that kept leaking out. Yet now, after performing the diagnostic again, I found that the _Byakugan _is actually completely transformed."

"And this is the cause of the Kyuubi's yoki?"

"That can a reason though the effects of the _Shiki Fuijin _may have been acting on it too. The chakra that the Yondaime left behind in the seal had seeped a little into the eye sockets as well. From what I was able to gleam, the _Byakugan _had been constantly deteriorating under the effect of the combined chakras. Then, the Kyuubi's yoki began to rebuild the eyes. By the time I checked, the nerves that connected the eyes and to the brain had already been healed and connected."

"..." Sarutobi was silent as he mulled over the information in his head. So the eyes had now became Naruto's. If anything, this would be a great asset to the boy. Sarutobi had no doubts that it would serve to protect him in the future. Yet what were the consequences? For all he knew, the influence of the Kyuubi's yoki in the connection of the nerves could also have influenced the boy's mind. What would happen to him then?

"...What are the chances that the Kyuubi's yoki would be able to affect Naruto's mentality?"

"..." The medic slowly closed his eyes and ran through a more thorough diagnostic on Naruto's body. He placed one glowing hand on top of the seal placed on the boy's navel. The other hovered over Naruto's head. For a few minutes, the medic kept still as the information slowly came to light.

Eventually, he relaxed and shook his head to the Hokage.

"It is alright. The seal is still functioning properly. The barest minimum is being filtered out and in turn, purified for Naruto's own use."

Sarutobi sighed with relief. So his successor's final technique still proves to be working. That is good. At the very least, he did not have to worry too much about the Kyuubi breaking the seal. Naruto had suffered enough without having to have his soul consumed by the fox demon.

_'And at the very least, there won't be another reason for the villagers to attack him.'_ Sarutobi shook his head to rid himself of the depressing thoughts. He returned his attention to the medic and nodded to him as he made his way for the door.

"Please keep a careful watch over Naruto-kun." The medic gave Sarutobi a respectful bow as the old man left. The door closed quietly and neither saw the twitch Naruto's finger gave nor the slighty glow of the genjutsu seal.

**owo**

In the years that he had been the Hokage, Sarutobi felt that one of his greatest pride had been the creation of this medical hospital. Back in those days, when war had been as normal as drinking water, his village had suffered so many losses. Despite its large population, the village was sending children into battle and most of the time, many promising futures were wiped out in a single second.

Tsunade, the granddaughter of Shodai-sama and his former student, was one of those who had lost a person dear to them. However, she used that lost to aid her passion in healing. It was to this extent that she, with her own money both inherited and earned, created Konoha's medical center.

In it, she had enforced strict teachings and discipline. It was such supposedly such a rigorous training course that those that had the mental discipline of at least a seasoned chuunin were expected to survive in it.

Yet... the results were amazing.

Out of Tsunade's original handpicked group of students, tens of medic-nins, all of whom had discipline rivaling even those of ANBU were created. Eventually, medic-nins grew in such prominence throughout the warring years that most of the medic-nin leaders were treated as if they were jounins themselves.

Even now, in these relatively peaceful years, those that failed the genin exam yet still want to continue the path of the shinobi often picks the course of a combat medic. Medics in the field of combat were already given the authority, and payment of a chuunin and the medic leaders were treated as the elite, the jounins.

Still what made him so proud was not the skills of the medics. Though it had saved countless lives, the skill of a medic is useless without the necessary compassion of one. It is here that Tsunade literally pounded into her former students. Sometimes, she even resorted into genjutsu to test the students, seeing if her students would refrain from healing anyone. Those that failed, even if they had the skills, were immediately expelled and told to never pursue the course of a medic-nin again.

Her students, now seasoned medical shinobis themselves, carry on her will in this medical center. They use intimidation, genjutsu, and other techniques not unlike those of the interrogation squads, all in the name of literally beating out the prejudice of any applicant in the medical field.

Though Sarutobi had his doubts on the techniques used for the applicants, he cannot skirt out the results before him. The medics heal anyone injured, even the enemies... even the village pariah.

Sarutobi sighed, and glanced at the building around him, a grand complex that features the greatest of medical science and techniques accumulated. It was his greatest regret that his student was not here to see her original group of seven students has now expanded to become one of the greatest groups of medics both in terms of skill and in terms of liberalness.

"..." The old hokage stopped as he stood in front of Hyuuga Hinako's room. He could hear the voices in the room, screams of anger that he had not heard in a long time. It would seem that Hyuuga Hinako... was very pissed.

"..." Sarutobi felt sweat appear out of his pores as he tipped his Hokage hat downwards to hide his sudden fearful expression. Perhaps... it would be best to leave this to later. He had learned long ago that the saying of "Makai hath no scorn like a woman's fury" to have been all too true, especially after encountering his other student, Jiraiya's many beatings for being caught peeping women in bath houses.

"Ugh... perhaps it would be best to wait until she calms down..." Sarutobi definitely remembered Hinako in her younger years. She was shy, much like her daughter. Yet, when she becomes angry, and that means REALLY angry, then he could only pray for whoever instigated her anger to receive a quick and painless death. She was that scary.

...Did he just thought 'scary'?

"Hokage-sama, is there something I can help you with?" Sarutobi jumped in surprise at hearing the voice of Hyuuga Hiashi coming from the door. He slowly turned his gaze towards the door, and met the man revered as the one that can sit in a field of fire and still have that apathetic expression, with a complete look of desperation in his eyes.

"A-ah, n-no I was just thinking of asking Hinako-chan a few things but... it would seem that at this moment, she is busy. So, I will take my leave."

"No no no, I'm sure that she will be eager to know what you would like to say." Sarutobi cursed the man before him. Hiashi was now smiling. The gleam in his pale eyes literally screamed "If I'm going to take that hell, I'll at least let you have some of it too."

"Oh... I must insist."

As Hiashi tugged the old hokage into the room, Sarutobi secretly prayed that she would not kill him as well. When he slowly opened his eyes, he was met with a red faced Hyuuga Hinako, who was breathing rather deeply.

Upon seeing the Sandaime Hokage in the room, Hinako quickly composed herself as best as she could. Yet, Sarutobi could see the glare that she sent point blank into Hiashi. It clearly said "This isn't over, you're soooo getting it when I'm better". Hiashi could only nod his head slowly, obviously resigned to his fate.

"H-Hokage-sama. Is there something that you wanted from me?"

Despite himself, Sarutobi could not help but give a soft chuckle. "My my... it has been a while since I've seen your face Hinako-chan. Can't you let an old man have the luxory of seeing one of his beloved children again?"

Hinako looked down, yet both men could see the small pleased smile that had blossomed on her face. After a period of silence, Hinako gave out a quiet murmur. "Yes... I'm finally home again."

"And it is true, that I have not come just to see you." Sarutobi dropped all attempts he thought of to mull the situation over to the conversation that he had planned. He'll simply go straight and blunt. "I want to know what has been done to Naruto-kun."

Hinako looked up in surprise. She had not expected him to want the answers so quickly though she couldn't blame him. She would have wanted to answer too if she had been Hokage. "...I don't know everything that has been done to Naruto-kun. The only real experiment that I had laid eyes on had been Orochimaru's attempt to create a technique where a person can stay at a constantly young age. An "Immortal technique" if you will. From what I was able to see and hear, the technique had done the exact opposite and by the time they had managed to draw it back, Naruto-kun had already aged by a whole year."

"I see..." That was disturbing to know. If Orochimaru had discovered a technique to age a being faster, then he could probably create an army as large as Fire Country's own Samurai Legions in a year, maybe even less if he were to really work through it.

"A-ano... Hokage-sama."

"Hmm?" Sarutobi quickly returned his attention to Hinako, who now looked at him with resolution clearly printed in her features. Sarutobi felt nostalgia well up in him. It had truly been a long time since he had seen Hinako with that expression on her face. "Yes... what is it?"

"Regarding the matter of Uzumaki Naruto. I would like to adopt him into the Hyuuga clan."

**owo**

**A/N: And that's it! Man I'm sorry for taking so long and even worse, making it a cliffy but well... eh... Haha can't think of an excuse.**

**Well, it's been real but I have to get to more study... and more procrastination! Fear not cause I think that this story is going to be alive for quite a bit. **

**Oh and also... thanks to the brilliance of Tempered in Water by Hitikori, I've decided to make Haku a girl in this story. The way that he explained the story was so damn tempting to make a female Haku that I can't help myself. Haha and no, she won't be in a relationship with Naruto nor will she be in one with Zabuzza. **

**Well... that's all for now, lates everyone!**

**-Phoenix**

**REVIEW!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for the lateness. Can't really make an excuse for this one either than the fact that I was procrastinating. Thanks to everyone for their reviews. Many were short and to the point while a few were long and provided some nice insight. Thanks to everyone.**

**Now on wit the story!**

**owo**

_…Where… where am I_

_…__Where… where am I_

_…__Where… where am I?_

_Ouch… my body… it hurts…_

_Cold… so cold…_

…_Where am I?_

**Wake up little one. You are not dead. Wake up.**

…_Who…who are you?_

**Wake up.**

Uzumaki Naruto slowly stirred, his body giving way to movement. Almost immediately, he noticed that he could see nothing, that whatever was covering his eyes was wet with some type of liquid. He also noted a major difference to how he normally felt upon waking up.

His body was not restrained.

Strange. He never felt a day pass by where that bastard Kabuto would not restrain him. Why was today so special?

Wait… what had happened before? He remembered something… yes it was feeling of indescribable pain. Naruto slowly closed his hidden eyes as he tried to remember just what it was that made his sockets ache with a painful memory.

**-Flashback-**

_He was led to a room filled with blood. All around, the symbols of inhuman cruelty was so prominent that he felt like throwing up, even though he had witness these things before. _

_Suddenly, he was forced onto a bed and strapped in place once more. He struggled, of course, but as always, he was not able to be free._

"_Kukukukuku… today we have a special treat for you Naruto-kun."_

_He turned his head towards that sickening serpent voice and found himself meeting those yellow reptilian eyes of Orochimaru. The pale faced man grinned and held up a jar. Inside, a pair of pupil-less eyes stared back at him. Naruto felt his own eyes widen in horror. Wait… where had he seen those before?_

_Naruto stiffened at the sounds of a metal table being carted away. He slowly turned his head towards the door and saw Kabuto carting away an unmoving body. Naruto only had that small moment to glimpse it yet it was enough. That person, one of those older nee-sans that he had seen from before… she was unmoving. Her face was set in an expression of anguish and pain. Her sockets were empty and bloody._

"_Kukukukuku now don't worry. This won't hurt one bit." Naruto only managed to see Orochimaru in front of him, with a steel scalpel before his world erupted into red and pain._

**-End Flashback-**

"Ah…ah…ah…" Naruto gasped as he clutched the sheets tightly with clenched fists. His whole being felt sick with the knowledge. He… he had her eyes. Naruto slowly brought his hand up to feel the tightly wrapped bandages. To think, underneath those bandages were the eyes of someone else.

"It's all his fault…" Naruto gritted his teeth in anger and resentment towards that man. "If he wasn't there… then this would never have happened."

"Yes… I suppose that it is indeed mostly that man's fault isn't it?" He immediately jumped in surprise. Naruto had not even heard a single footstep. He tensed his body in preparation for running away, no matter where it would take him. "Who… who are you?"

"Oh… just an old friend." From the grizzle-ness in his tone and the familiarity in talking, Naruto could safely say that whoever this person is, he's old and he must have known him at some point.

Not like that really made an impression on him.

Naruto frowned and gripped his bandages, annoyed at the fact that he couldn't see and still feeling sick with the fact that the pair of eyes in his sockets were not his own. How was that possible anyways? How is it that someone's eyes can just replace his own and he would be able to see with them?

Wait… can he even see with these?

Anxiety soon welled up as he quickly began clawing at his bandages. Would he even be able to see? If he couldn't then what? Would they go and tear off these eyes as well and replace them with another pair?

"Calm down, it's alright." Apparently, the old man managed to see his anxiety and fear quite quickly. "Naruto-kun, you need not worry about your eyes. The medics have told me that there will be no problem with your sight should you let them heal over time."

Naruto ignored the man and after finding the end of the bandage, quickly began unwrapping it. He stubbornly ignored the stranger's protest as he continued to unwrap his bandages with vigor. He had to know. Was he going to see or not? Would he be blind? Would his new eyes make him look more like a freak?

Finally, when the last of the bandages fell off, he brought his hands up and slowly rubbed his closed eyes. At that moment, fear and uncertainty was high. He didn't know if he would be blind or not but if he were able to see, what would he see? Especially with the eyes of a person he saw being carted away like a sack of meat.

'_No…' _His eyelids twitched and slowly began parting. _'For now… I'll listen to this guy. I want to see…'_

'_I want to see!'_

Naruto fully opened his eyes and immediately, squinted at the whiteness the room gave off. Slowly, colors began to blend with the whiteness; blurry outlines soon became visible yet to his chagrin, he found that he truly could not see clear shapes yet. Everything was one big blur.

"Now… you must learn some patience Naruto-kun. Sometimes being too impulsive can lead to harsh consequences."

Naruto stopped and turned his head towards the direction of the voice. The only thing he could make out in the blur was a mass of red and white. He slowly squinted his eyes, trying to focus more. Eventually, he slowly became able to see a slightly more defined shape. The red on the head so took a more hat-like quality and he could barely make out a thin black… thing that was sticking out of this person's mouth.

Naruto felt his eyes widened.

It… it shouldn't be possible.

"J-jii-chan…?"

Sarutobi smiled and walked over to the incredibly vulnerable looking boy. He fell down to his knees, bringing himself to eye level with him and immediately wrapped his arms around the boy. He slowly rubbed his hand over to boy's head as a sense of joy welled up in him. Naruto remembered him. Even after all the trauma he had been inflicted with, he still remembers him. "It's been a long time now hasn't it Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was shocked. He… how was he here? Hokage-jiji, the only adult who had looked at him with no hatred in his eyes. He was the only adult that Naruto had ever wanted. He was like the grandfather that he had never known. Seeing him now again, even though he was blurred, it was almost too much to bear.

"W-where am I?"

"It's alright now Naruto-kun. You're home now. You're safe."

_Home…? What is this 'home' that Jiji was talking about?_

For his part, Naruto didn't want to ask. He never felt at home in the village. He was always beaten, called names, and given cheap products for extremely high prices. It took extremely careful spending with his monthly stipend to scrape by.

No… he had never considered the village a home. It was a shelter at best and a prison at worst. Yet now… now that he's away from that snake and his painful experiments… he'd take this village any day. Naruto closed his eyes and buried his head into the Hokage's shoulder. He'll stay, if only for jiji.

"Now Naruto-kun. I'm sure that this will come as a surprise to you but please bear with me." Now that perked his attention. Naruto pulled away from the old Hokage and slowly nodded. He had yet to remember a time where jiji had ever lied to him and by the tone of his voice, this seems to be a rather important matter.

"Well… Naruto-kun, do you remember what I have taught to you about clans and families?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head. He vaguely remember the lessons that jiji had decided to give him about some important families in the village. Now that he thought about it… the two that stood out had been called… "Hyuuga" and "Uchiha". He didn't remember why but something that the Hokage had said seemed to have made those two stick to his head more than the others.

"…There were two important families called "Hyuuga" and "Uchiha"… I don't really remember why they were so important though."

"It's good enough." Sarutobi smiled. He couldn't expect much from Naruto after all. The boy had been four when he decided to teach him and the boy listened mostly just for memorization's purpose and given the years and trauma that followed, he doubted that he would remember.

"Now… one of those families, the Hyuuga clan, has decided to formally adopt you."

Now that was a shocker. What in the world would an important family want with him? Naruto highly doubted that he was special. In fact, the villagers had more than once expressed their views on just how 'special' he actually was. Why, then, would a clan that jiji had explicitly spoke of in importance would suddenly decide to adopt him?

As if reading his mind, Sarutobi spoke up once more. This time, his voice was tinged with sadness. "The Hyuuga clan had lost three important people to them. Hyuuga Hinako, the matriarch of the clan along with Hyuuga Hikari and Hyuuga Ume, both members of the main house, were abducted the same night as you by Orochimaru. I'm sure you remember them now."

"Oh…" Naruto did remember them. They were probably the two prisoners he had met in a fleeting glance when he was being moved to another room. The older nee-san had probably been that Hinako person. The other one was probably Ume or Hikari. Then… where was the other one?

_Her face was set in an expression of anguish and pain. Her sockets were empty and bloody._

Naruto's eyes flared open and he immediately pushed himself away from Sarutobi. The Hokage was just about to ask what was wrong when suddenly, Naruto hunched over and threw up whatever contents his stomach had. Sarutobi was upon him in an instant, patting the boy's back as gently as possible as Naruto continued to regurgitate his stomach contents. Finally, when he was done, Naruto just stayed there, his body shaking horribly at what he had just learned.

"…I-I have her eyes… one of those nee-san's…" Naruto slowly brought up his hands to cover the eyes. His whole being felt sick… so incredibly sick. To think, they once belonged to someone else… someone who he had seen being carted away like spoiled meat. He felt like an abomination. No, that was too good for him. He felt like a freak.

"…Is that why they want to adopt me? Because I now have the same eyes as them?" Sarutobi frowned at the resigned tone that the boy had. Granted, the information must have been a shock to him but to suddenly assume that he would be adopted only because of similarities was what one would expect from hopelessness. Naruto shouldn't have that.

He deserved better.

"Naruto. They don't want you simply because of that reason. The matriarch of the clan is Hyuuga Hinako, one of those who had been taken by Orochimaru the same night as you. She told me that while she had not seen a lot of the experiments, she had seen enough to be disgusted. She wants to protect you. Simple as that."

_So one of the nee-sans was actually a matriarch…? _

If anything, that made Naruto all the more skeptical. However, he refrained from speaking. Too many things were going through his head and he certainly did not want to become even more confused that he already was.

For a while, neither of them spoke a word. Sarutobi was worried over the mental health of the young boy beside him and wondering if he could even find acceptance in the clan that brands its branch members in a sign of forever servitude. The clan, while it had suffered some of the lightest of casualties, had been completely neutral in proposing the state of Naruto after they had found out on him becoming a demon container. For the most part, the clan had declined to put in an opinion, making it hard to gauge just what their stance in the matter was. It did not matter if Hinako wanted to adopt Naruto into the clan. If the clan itself objected to the idea, then there can be nothing done for him.

_Though I suppose if Hinako can persuade Hiashi in the matter… there shouldn't be much trouble._

Hiashi was perhaps the most persuasive speaker in the council and that quite literally meant that he was the most persuasive speaker in the whole _village._ If he were to side with Naruto's adoption into the clan, then the boy's chances would rise significantly.

Sarutobi had an inkling that Hiashi would do it too.

The man looked incredibly whipped when he saw him with Hinako the day before.

Sarutobi could almost shake his head at how strange it was. Hyuuga Hiashi, probably the most powerful and influential member of the council, was whipped by his wife, who had always been known as a shy but loving matriarch in the clan. If hadn't been so old already and seen many things, he felt that he would have had to bend down and pick up his jaw that had landed onto the ground.

_Would Naruto like it though?_

He lowered his gaze onto the young boy before him. Even if he were to be adopted into the Hyuuga clan, there is a chance that they would simply look down onto him like the rest of the villagers. The clan could act like the villages, abiding the clan rules in face of its leaders but dissent and lash out on the boy when no one's looking. In the worst case scenario, he could be branded with the curse seal, leaving him in the mercy of the Hyuugas.

Naruto, for his part, was wary with being adopted.

From his early years being in the orphanage, he had remembered the faces of people when they adopted thee other orphans. When they had looked at him, they sneered at him, as if he was some type of trash for them to step on. The old caretaker was nice enough but when he died, his replacement filled in and that woman absolutely no qualms with making his life a living hell.

He had never trusted an adult outside of the old Hokage since.

What difference would it make if the Hyuuga would adopt him? For all he knew, the clan would be just as bad as that caretaker from before. They could be even worse.

"Now... if you have calmed down enough, Hinako-san had wanted to see you. Do you want to come and meet her?"

Did he want to go and meet the woman who would eventually be his caretaker? Though he was still skeptical of the idea, it wasn't entirely a bad thing for him. Who knows? Maybe she actually _liked _him instead of hated him.

"...Alright." Naruto slowly hopped off of the bed before making his way over to the door, nearly banging on a few furnitures in the process. He squinted his eyes yet still could barely make out a few blurry shapes and colors. It was annoying. It was so incredibly annoying that he could not see a damn thing. If he had his eyes, if he had his _old_ eyes, he would have had no troubles moving around.

Naruto grimaced when his knee unexpectedly bumped into a metal post. It certainly didn't help that he barely even knew where the door was. He felt like an idiot walking around in circles and bumping into things along the way.

"Here Naruto-kun," a hand was placed on his shoulder and the boy soon found himself being steered into another direction. "I think it would be better if I were to lead."

Naruto would have to agree.

**owo**

Hinako had her eyes closed as she gently hummed a little tune that she had picked up in her youth. At that moment, it was very peaceful in her recuperating chamber. The sunlight shone through the open windows, illuminating her room with an almost healing glow. Yet the breeze that swept in was nice and cool, a temperature that she had came to love from the village.

Outside, the birds were chirping quietly amongst themselves in an almost harmonious pitch and just barely within reach of her hearing, the bustling of human activities swept through, indicating that this village was alive, prosperous, and everyone was working hard.

It was so incredibly peaceful to her… if she were to ignore the silent statue that was her husband.

Hinako's soft smile dropped at this and her humming soon stopped as well. What was she to think about with her husband? She loved him dearly; there was no doubt about that. After all, both Hinata and Hanabi were proof of her love and devotion towards her husband. Yet, was the Hiashi that she had known all along just a mask that he wore on her? His treatment on little Hinata, a daughter that she cherished for her sweetness, was something so horrible that were he anyone else, she would have attempted a _Jyuuken _strike right to their heart. Was this Hiashi the true one that she married? The beast behind the mask?

She could still remember, the day she had married the man before her.

Back then, she was a promising medic-nin, reaching a chuunin worthy rank within its own hierarchy at the age of fifteen. A year into her work, she was suddenly told by the Main family that she was to be betrothed to Hyuuga Hiashi and the birdcage seal on her forehead was to be removed immediately.

That had been one of the greatest moments of her life. Despite the animosity that the Branch section had for the Main Branch members, she had always been smitten with Hyuuga Hiashi though she would be the first to admit that her attraction to his twin, Hyuuga Hizashi, was almost as strong if only because they were identical in appearance.

To her, Hiashi had been one of the more kinder main branch members that she had seen and after the one moment when he had caught her after she had fallen off of a tree at the age of ten, she felt that her heart had been stolen by him since. To suddenly find out that he would be her betrothed… it was almost too good to be true.

But it was not. It was all true.

At the age of sixteen, she was married to the then twenty-eight year old Hiashi. Despite the age difference between them, she felt that she was able to give her heart to the man and believed that he would return to those feelings as well. It worked out beautifully. When she had declared her love for him, even after finding out of her betrothal to him, he returned those feelings to her and the two of them managed to turn the marriage into one of love instead of one for maintaining blood purity.

Soon after they had consummated their marriage, she learned that she became pregnant with their child. Despite the calm façade that he kept up, she was quick to see that the man was ecstatic. During quiet nights when it was just the two of them sleeping together, he would hover his hand over her stomach and she would catch the fleeting moments of a very warm smile.

It had been moments like those that she felt most at peace and she would snuggle into her beloved husband, burying her head into the crook of his neck. It was during those times that she felt that nothing in the world mattered aside from her husband and the growing child that was within her.

When little Hinata had been born, she felt that the culmination of their love had finally borne fruit. Their young daughter was so beautiful, so completely beautiful that at first glance, she wanted nothing more than to cradle her forever. Likewise, Hiashi had coddled onto their firstborn for months, to the point where he would come home from meetings literally panting for breath. At times, Hiashi's branch member escort would tell her of how he would sit through meetings, watching the time and simply drumming his fingers. At the first note of adjournment, he would be the first to leave, and do so in a brusque manner. That had probably been as amusing as it was endearing. If anything, the love she had for him only grew.

Then, four years after Hinata's birth, she became pregnant again. For many normal citizens, they actually thought that that was her first pregnancy, since she was barely at the age of twenty-one. Hinako did not bother to correct them at all as she was once more descended into the joys of a pregnant mother.

Hiashi had fussed over her even more than her first pregnancy and if anything, his mask cracked much more than during the first one. Hinako had always found that adoration in him and the worry he had for health much more palpable to see.

And then, after she had given birth to Hanabi, she had been taken away.

For nine whole months, she had been forced to endure many heartaches, always unable to move as the screams of little Uzumaki echoed throughout the hallways. She had been forced to sit and do nothing as a person who she viewed as another daughter was raped by that treacherous Kabuto and forced to bear his child. She was made to be helpless as she heard the final dying screams of Hikari and watch as Kabuto dragged an unconscious Uzumaki, with his new eyes bandaged up and bleeding.

Hinako felt that those torturous days would have dragged on forever. Yet by some stroke of luck, or for the amusement of that snake medic-nin, she was released with her other daughter-figure, Ume, the young Uzumaki, and the infant child that was Hikari's legacy. When she awoke once more, she found herself back in the care of her home, and soon, she was reunited with her dear husband, Hiashi.

Yet, how could he have done it? When she had seen Hinata fidgeting, literally shaking with fear, and how her husband would not meet her eyes, she immediately knew that her precious child, _their _precious child had been mistreated by none other than him. Why? Why in the world would he do such a thing?

When she confronted him on this, he would not answer. Her anger was then made vocal yet all he did was bow his head and take the verbal lashing that she gave him. That certainly didn't satisfy her. She wanted to know why, not see him take her attacks as if everything will be the same after.

Then, she came up with an idea. She wanted to test her husband's actual discipline and self-pride. So, she decided that when the Hokage would meet with her, she would immediately request that she would adopt little Uzumaki.

When this had happened, it naturally gave Hiashi a surprise. Her husband certainly wasn't expecting that and she felt satisfied with that knowledge. If he were indeed acting as a mask this whole time, treating them only through that mask, then she would know. Little Uzumaki wasn't going to be adopted by the Hyuuga clan. He is going to be adopted by _her _family, making him a member of the household. She'll be there to monitor her husband's behavior, to ensure that he would treat the village pariah with little difference to how he treats his daughters.

Of course, she didn't decide to adopt Uzumaki simply because she wanted to keep her husband in a 'short leash'. The boy had suffered, more so than most orphans or even black sheeps should. Her heart sang with pain every time she had heard his screams and whenever she was able to see him, she had silently begged him for forgiveness, forgiveness that she was too powerless to help him. Now, with a wall around his heart, he could very well transform into the being that the villagers fear him to be. What scared Hinako the most is what will happen to that little boy… who three years ago, had declared to her that he would beat up all the 'big bad bullies for nee-san'.

Despite the sorrow she felt for him, Hinako still managed a small smile. That particular memory had been one of her fondest regarding the boy who was once a ball of perpetual energy. She had been walking through the forests, admiring the tranquility that it provided her that day, when she had stumbled across a small creak. It was a small spot, almost completely hidden by rocks and trees, yet it sparkled with a clarity that left her astonished. It was almost a river of pureness that she had not been able to see since.

All of a sudden, when she had bent down to scoop up the crystal clear water, the bushes shook and immediately, a little boy, no older than three, bounded into the creak.

The two had stared at each other for what seemed like forever and to Hinako, the boy's sapphire blue eyes seemed to pierce into her soul more effectively than the masters of the _Byakugan_. She felt that her whole being had suddenly been laid bare for the young boy to see, to be judged whether or not she was a sinful beast or a creature of purity.

Finally, the boy gave a smile and pointed at her with a cute pudgy hand. He opened his mouth and his little tone suddenly bounced out like a musical note.

"_You're a pretty nee-san."_

That had broken the ice. Hinako smiled at the memory. She remembered how she began to talk to the little boy, who displayed a startling degree of maturity even at that age. Though his mind was too young to comprehend it, the little Uzumaki Naruto seemed to have already realized to treat items carefully and spend money wisely. These were traits that even some adults had trouble in and it astounded her that such a young boy could grasp it so easily.

Of course, the conversation soon diverged to why she was in that crystal clear creak and she embarrassedly stated that she 'got lost'. The cute little boy had then jumped up to his feet and held on to her hands.

"_Don't worry nee-san! I'll take you back and I'll make sure that I'll beat up all those big bad bullies for nee-san!"_

It was such a cute, endearing sentence and when they had returned to the entrance of the village, she had rewarded him with a kiss on his forehead. Back then, she had not known that he actually spent more time in the forest to the point where he knew different trees better than alleys and roads. Back then, she hadn't known that the boy reached his level of maturity because of the overwhelming biasness against him.

She had simply found his resolve so amazingly adorable that she couldn't say no to him.

Now that she thinks about it, Hinako can safely assume that little Uzumaki has forgotten those events. The mind of a child, no matter how mature, will eventually throw away past memories as more and more new ones replace it. With the trauma that little Uzumaki suffered in the next three years, she doubt that he would remember her as the one he vowed to protect from all those bullies.

It pained her.

It was such a hurtful feeling to know that a child, as pure as her own precious daughter, was subjugated to so many acts of cruelty. It hurt even more when the child was innocent of all sins… and that he and his will was the only thing keeping the world safe from the monstrous entity sealed in his stomach.

He deserved better, much better, and if she were to be the only one to offer a chance for a better life, then so be it.

As if on cue, the door echoed with a series of knocks, jarring both Hinako and the silent Hiashi from their respective thoughts. The two gave a small glance to one another before the matriarch cleared her throat and called to the strangers outside.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened up and in walked Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. Yet with him, was the very same young boy that had been in her mind. The bandages have been removed, though it would seem that not much was done to heal his eyes, as he seemed to be squinting around, staring at things and bumping into furniture.

"I hope we haven't been interrupting anything Hinako." Sarutobi gave them a small smile. The waned a bit when he noted the tension that was still lingering in the room. Though it was rapidly disappearing, it clearly showed the rift that had suddenly grown between the husband and wife.

"I-it's no trouble." Hinako didn't want to delve back into her brooding over her husband. She slowly looked down towards the little blond boy before her, immediately noting that his eyes were rather unfocused. Despite this, she gave him a warm smile. "Hello again Naruto-kun."

Naruto turned his head to the voice, looking at the blob of colors before him and, when figuring that it was the matriarch, gave a small bow. "Um… Hi." He spoke up rather lamely. "Er… it's a pleasure to meet you Hyuuga-san."

Hinako covered a smile. Clearly, etiquette was not his strong suit and he was probably naturally shy, always hiding behind that grinning mask of his.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Hinako slowly got up from her bed, ignoring the sudden tension that had seized her husband, and knelt down before the boy, close enough where he didn't have to look around. "I assume that Hokage-sama has told you about what I plan?"

Naruto nodded.

"Then… are you willing to accept?"

"…" Naruto closed his eyes. Silence drifted into the room as all three applicants awaited the little boy's decision. When he opened his eyes once more, they were set in a determined expression.

"…Yes. I'll accept the adoption." Hinako smiled. She was glad. Now she can give him what he deserved: a home.

"But." Naruto looked up, meeting her almost squarely in the eye. "I don't want charity. It's okay if I have a place to sleep in… but I don't want to ask for much more. When the time comes and I can finally become a shinobi, then I would like to leave and live on my own again." He looked away from the matriarch, not knowing that she had been taken completely by surprise. She wanted to give him a home, a family that would perhaps be able to give some warmth into his life. Yet… he wasn't going to accept it?

"…I don't want to intrude with your clan any more than I will."

Ah… that was the reason. Naruto… after all the trauma he has suffered, he can't find it in himself to full trust people again. He is probably even more suspicious that the Hyuuga would choose to adopt him. Or, he feels even more threatened by being adopted into a family as large as theirs.

Perhaps it had been too quick. Hinako knew that Naruto had suffered much. Yet… she was much too caught up in the possibilities to care at that time. She hadn't realize at that time that his reaction would be like this, even though it should have been obvious if one were to look closely.

"So, you are saying that you are willing to become a ward, but not an official member?" Naruto glanced over towards the old Hokage's direction, and nodded. Sarutobi made a contemplating noise as he looked up towards the ceiling. Choices and consequences went through his mind at incredible speed as he tried to see if anything were to be amiss in this decision.

He found none.

Or at least, he found none that would prove harmful to young Naruto's future.

The old Hokage looked back down at the child before him, noting that he still had that incredibly determined expression on his face. He had learned long ago that whenever someone who has the same personality as Naruto acts like that, then there is no steering back from their decision.

"Very well." He conceded. "Then Naruto-kun is hereby considered a ward of the Hyuuga clan."

It was not what she had wanted but it was good enough. Hinako smiled at the boy and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. He was still so suspicious of people and she simply wanted to give him a home. It will take time for him to relax in her presence but it is alright. She has time now. Time in which she can spend in mending the rift that had grown between her and all the people she had cared about. She will make sure that he shall be included as well.

Naruto had stiffened immediately upon her embrace. What… what was this feeling? This incredibly warm feeling that made him feel so secure… it was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

_W-what… what is this?_

Naruto slowly closed his eyes and relaxed, allowing himself to succumb to her hug. It… it was a strange feeling… it made him feel protected, _cared for._

_It's… it's… amazing…_

Hinako opened her eyes in surprise when suddenly, Naruto fell forward. She quickly pulled back and laid him down in panic. Had something happened? Had he suddenly fainted?

To her bewilderment, the little boy fell deeper until he landed gently against her chest. Hinako pulled back just enough so that she could see his face and found that Naruto, during her embrace, had suddenly fallen asleep.

"…" She sighed softly as the boy snuggled into her. He merely fell asleep, nothing more. He seemed to also like the warmth her hug had given him as he continued to snuggle in until he found a comfortable niche to mold to. Hinako glanced down at the slumbering boy and gave him a smile. "Rest Naruto-kun. You've earned it."

**owo**

**So ends another chapter. Tell me what you guys think. The next one will finally introduce Naruto into the clan and see whether he's accepted or not. I'll see if I can post it soon but I certainly won't be making promises. My head hurts with all those promises I've been making.**

**Till next time people!**

**-Phoenix**

**REVIEW!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: ...Eh? Why was it that this chapter had suddenly disappeared? Strange... well I dunno if something happened to the site or what but I've reuploaded the chapter. Maybe the site was going through some renovations or something... Oh well, here's the reuploaded Chapter 7.  
**

**owo  
**

"Everyone, I would like to introduce to you a new student. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, he was not able to attend classes at the beginning of the school term. Still, I expect everyone to treat him with respect."

The young blond walked up front and bowed before the silent class. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. It's a pleasure to meet you."

There was no applause. Rather, everyone was busy scrutinizing the blond boy before them. He was small, making his appearance to be even more immature than their own. Yet those pupil-less eyes that seem to resonate with pure apathy made him look much older than possible. To students who has shinobi parents, those eyes remind them of how their parents would look at times. His thin frame, made even more apparent with the seemingly oversized white shirt that he had, seemed fragile, as if he could break at the slightest touch yet at the same time, he held himself tense, as if ready to react to anything. Finally, those whisker-like scars that adorned each side of his cheeks reminds them of a person more attuned to the wild, a person who was _feral._

Or to the female students, it made him look cute.

'Kawaii…'

When Naruto looked up, he was prepared to accept the cold stares that he had seen so many times in his life. He was resigned to the high possibility that they will look down at him, denying his existence in their eyes.

He was not expecting this.

For the most part, the boys were giving him neutral glances, shrugging his arrival away as another person in their classroom. When they had began clapping, the boys did so out of forced politeness.

The girls on the other hand, were blushing. Some were whispering and giggling at each other as they clapped and truthfully, it unnerved him. What in the world were they talking about? Why did those eyes that watched him made him feel like a hamster running around a wheel for sheer amusement?

Naruto repressed a shudder as he chose not to pursue the subject any further. He will have to get to that point when he reaches it. For now, he just wanted to get out of the limelight.

The boy glanced up to his new teacher, who gave him an awkward smile. "Alright then… well I suppose we have to find you a seat now don't we? Let's see…" He glanced around the classroom, looking for an empty seat that would seem suitable for him. Naruto, on the other hand, had his eyes already trained on that one single seat before him. He didn't even turn his gaze to anyone else as he began walking up the stairs and over to the empty seat caught in his eyes.

When he reached it, Naruto glanced at the person sitting next to it.

"Is this seat taken?"

Dull deep sea blue met with warm lavender as he smiled at the person before him.

"N-no… you can sit here." The person blushed prettily as she moved her bag away from the table to make room for him. Naruto nodded his thanks as he sat down onto the seat. He turned his attention towards the one sitting next to him and held out his hand and introduced himself. "Uzumaki Naruto."

If anything, the person's face reddened even more as she took his hand to hers and murmured out her own introduction. "H-Hyuuga Hinata."

Naruto spared her a small, knowing smile as the two of them returned their attention to the chuunin instructor. Iruka, seeing that Naruto has already chosen his seat, immediately began his lectures. There was a shuffle of movements as the students began take out notes and pencils, all preparing themselves for another monotonous day of lectures and notes.

**owo**

"A-ano… was that a good idea to trick the whole class?" Hinata glanced worriedly towards Naruto as they walked together back to the Hyuuga complex. At that time, Naruto had proposed that they act like friendly strangers to fool the whole class so that people would not know that he was actually in the Hyuugas' care. A part of her, the small mischievous side that had been hidden away for a good amount of time, managed to coax her into agreeing with his plan.

Yet, she soon found herself asking why when they began their ruse.

Was their friendship such a bad thing that they had to keep it a secret? If not then was Naruto simply doing this out of spite to the students and teachers? She didn't know the reason and she found herself strangely uncomfortable as their ruse continued on throughout the day. She wanted to be able to talk to him more freely. She wanted to treat him like the dear friend that he was.

"…I can't say that it's a good idea." Naruto responded. "But… I don't think it would be a good idea to show everyone that we're friends."

He glanced over towards her, hesitating with his answer, before continuing on. "Many of the villagers hate me. I don't know why but they like to treat me like dirt. For all I know, my parents could have been dishonorable to the village or they simply hate the fact that I was born on the eve of the Kyuubi's defeat. All I know is that they treat me worse than dirt and I know for a fact that some of their kids are in the class. When word spreads out that Uzumaki Naruto is now in the Academy, the kids will no doubt be told by their moms and dads that I'm a bad person, that I'm someone to be hated."

"But you're not!" Had anyone else been there to see the two of them, they would have been surprised beyond belief that the normally soft-spoken heiress had just shouted her denial.

Hinata, upon hearing her voice reach a volume higher than ever before, gave a small 'Eep!' and covered her mouth in embarrassment. She glanced over towards the blond, who was looking at her with surprise all over his features.

If anything, her embarrassment grew. She had not meant to suddenly cut him off so loudly and sharply. It was just that she didn't want him to belittle himself even more. She simply wanted to make him see that he was not the monster everyone made him to be. She just wanted to help him.

'_It's too late now. I already said it… I have to continue.' _

Little Hinata steeled her resolve and returned her attention to Naruto, meeting his eyes with determination. "Naruto-kun isn't a monster. He's a kind boy who tried to make many friends. I don't want you to keep talking about yourself like that!"

Naruto was surprised. No, he was more than just surprised. He was absolutely bewildered. The blond had no idea that Hinata had it in her to make such an outburst. Just as well that she did as her words had suddenly found themselves jarred into his ears. He was going to remember this for a long time.

"…Heh…"

Though they had their differences in personality, Naruto saw some of Hyuuga Hiashi in his daughter. How could he not when the clan head had said almost the exact same things in face of the Hyuuga elders?

The young boy turned his head up to the sky as he remembered what had transpired just a few days before.

**-Flashback-**

_If anything, Naruto did not feel nervousness or even terror in the face of the Hyuuga elders and their seemingly x-ray vision. He had been subjected to levels of intimidation on such profound levels before that right now, their stares were met with equally apathetic eyes. _

_Still, it was kind of good to know that there was someone standing next to him, if only because of duty to his wife's decision. There, also meeting the gazes of the elders, was Hyuuga Hiashi, who stood in place of his wife to present his decision on the case of his adoption._

"… _We have heard young Uzumaki's reason for wanting to be adopted here and we have heard the pleas of your wife, Hinako-dono. However, the question remains: What will be in our clan's favor for harboring Uzumaki-san?" The head elder, Hyuuga Shiro, spoke up calmly as he and the rest of the elders had their eyes fixed solely on the blond before them._

_Naruto met their gaze passively. In fact, he was so emotionless to the dosage of pressure being applied to the room that one would have to wonder if he even felt any emotion at all. No boy that age should be able to handle this pressure around him as if it was just an everyday occurrence._

_The silence was broken by Hiashi, who took a step forward and responded to the elder's caution in adopting the boy. "Would offering our protection to young Uzumaki be in our clan's best interest? The boy is already under the protection of Sandaime-sama, true, but have you considered who else had him in their favor?"_

_There was a general silence as some of the elders lowered their gaze almost shamefully away. That prompted Naruto to raise an eyebrow. Who had him in such a good light that the mere mention of this person is enough to have the Hyuugas suddenly become complacent?_

"… _During the battle with the Kyuubi no Kitsune, our clan suffered the least casualties. This is only because the Kyuubi's rampage was stopped before it could reach our sector. I cannot hope to imagine what would have happened had the Kyuubi stayed on its path of destruction. If anything, none of us would be here." Hiashi narrowed his eyes at his own father, the man who met his gaze calmly, the head elder. "Are we so ungrateful that we are to deny Uzumaki's right to be protected when he holds the hope of the one who defeated the Kyuubi?" Hiashi glanced down and for a brief moment, Naruto was almost certain that a flicker of pain and nostalgia appeared in his eyes. "Are we to throw away the Legacy of Yondaime-sama?"_

_A pregnant silence fell into the council room. For the elders, they were taking this time to consider their options, torn between what they feel is best for their clan and the debt of honor they owe to Yondaime-sama, one that runs as deep as blood._

_But for Naruto, he found that his mind had suddenly froze in time, halting onto that one phrase over and over again._

"_**Legacy of Yondaime-sama…"**_

_What… what did that mean? Naruto's eyes were wide and fearful as he felt his heartbeat quicken, his skin moisten, and his nerves screaming with anticipation. What was with that phrase? He… he was the Yondaime's legacy? Impossible! Why would he be his legacy, the one that he left behind?_

"_Hiashi-san…" The Clan head glanced down from the brooding elders and met Naruto's fearful gaze calmly. Seeing those eyes acting so calm while his own was probably raging with emotions certainly did not help to calm him down. "What… what did you mean by Yondaime-sama's legacy?"_

_Again, there was that flicker of nostalgia and pain from within Hiashi's eyes though it was quickly masked. The clan head returned his gaze back to the elders before but left a clear message for the young blond._

"_It is not my place to tell. If you truly want to know, you must ask Sandaime-sama himself for the information."_

_Not his place to tell? What did that mean? Why was he not able to tell him? _

_Naruto bit his lip in anxiety at this. Was it such a secret that even a clan head is not allowed to speak of it? Why?_

"_Hiashi…" The voice of the head elder broke through the uncomfortable air between Hiashi and Naruto. The two quickly returned their attention to Hyuuga Shiro, who was now standing up from his seat with the other elders. "…We have thought it over. We have pondered over the consequences in harboring young Uzumaki but we have also thought about the possible rewards as well. As far as we can tell, the rewards more than make up for it."_

"…_We also owe it to Yondaime-sama… we will make sure that his Legacy will be cared for." The elder bowed his head to the young blond. "We welcome you, Uzumaki Naruto, into our clan."_

**-End Flashback-**

And that was that. Naruto had been fully accepted as the clan's ward and so far, he had been treated quite well by the Hyuuga.

Yet, something still nagged him terribly. Hyuuga Hiashi had suddenly called him the 'Legacy of the Yondaime' and it seemed that most of the adults know of this title as well. What urked him was that he knew nothing of this. Why was he known as the Yondaime's legacy? Why would he, a person who probably had no relations whatsoever to the great leader, be picked as the one that the Yondaime left behind?

Hiashi had told him that if he wanted to know more, he had to ask Jiji for the information but ever since, he has been hesitating.

As tempting as it was to know why he was given such a title, Naruto was also too scared to find out. The people call him Yondaime's legacy. Yondaime-sama wouldn't need a legacy unless he had perished and indeed, he had died six years ago. If he is to be known as that man's legacy, then what relation did he have to him?

"Naruto-kun?"

The boy broke off from his musings, returning his attention to the heiress who was walking next to him. Hinata looked on worriedly, unsure as to why he had suddenly gone silent. He looked troubled by something and she didn't like the fact that she couldn't help him on it.

Naruto shook his head at her, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "It's nothing." He replied. "I was just thinking about how everything still seems the same that's all."

"Eh?"

The boy grinned. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Come on I'll race you back!"

Naruto ran a few steps before turning around and beckoning her to follow. Though it still troubled her to have seen him back there, deep in what looked like negative thoughts, Hinata allowed herself to push those thoughts into the back of her mind. She smiled at Naruto and ran up to meet him. As the two of them raced back to the Hyuuga complex, she couldn't help but wish these days could last forever.

**owo**

"Hinako-sama, is it really alright for you to be walking around? You are still weak from your period of confinement." The Hyuuga matriarch bowed her head in acknowledgement of that fact but continued walking until she was outside of the complex, and into their spacious backyard. Hinako stood in the center of their clan's peaceful garden, relishing in how quiet and tranquil it seemed. All around, it seemed the bustling of the village had dulled incredibly, leaving a personal area of pure, enjoyable silence.

Or was that because the Hyuugas live in the quietest part of the village?

"Mmmm… this feels nice doesn't it, Neji-kun?"

Hinako turned back and gave her escort a smile. The young branch member, her nephew, did not look like he was enjoying it at all. Rather, he looked more like a wall than anything.

"…I'm sorry Hinako-sama but I don't understand what you are trying to say."

And she restrained herself from openly sighing. She couldn't blame her dear nephew for acting like this. After all, wasn't it the main family that had went and killed Hizashi in place of her husband? Although Hizashi himself had volunteered, Neji would no doubt blame the main family as the cause behind his father's death. He would see it as a sin in which the main family used to keep their members alive.

The young boy would no doubt see her as a traitor as she was once a part of the branch family as well. It was only her marriage with Hiashi that brought her to the main family.

If anything, he resented her the most.

Still, she had to keep trying. Neji is the last thing in which to remember Hizashi by. If anything, she owed it to that man to help Neji come out of his shell once more.

Though… it seemed to be a difficult task at the moment.

Still, she had to try.

Hinako gave the boy a smile and looked at the sky, feeling the breeze blow past her in gentle currents. "I mean to be outside Neji-kun. I mean that it feels nice to be able to feel the breeze of a gentle wind and to have it caress you with almost a intimate touch." She looked back down towards her apathetic nephew and arched an eyebrow. "Don't you like to feel it too?"

Her question was met with a stone cold stare.

Neji pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at the question. Even from where she was, Hinako could see that his fists were shaking with barely controlled anger. If anything, she expected him to lash out on her that very moment.

But he didn't.

Instead, the boy settled for a glare, something that Hinako would never reprimand him for, and few cold words. "Even if the wind is to touch a person as intimate as you say, it is only to mask its true intentions. The wind is the cage that holds a bird. Should the bird try and fly away, it'll be killed in a second without remorse." Neji turned away from her and began to walk away. "Excuse me but I have urgent matters to attend to. Good day, Hinako-sama."

Hinako watched on sadly as Neji disappeared into the Hyuuga complex. She had remembered him three years ago, when he was so full of energy and pride for the Hyuuga clan. Back then, he had been so eager to follow the code of the branch family, seeing it as a way to prolong the strength of the Hyuuga.

Then, he was betrayed.

The main family substituted Hiashi with Hizashi, killing him so as to prevent a war to spark between Konoha and Kumo. Neji, upon learning of this, no longer found pride in being a Hyuuga. He now saw the mark of the branch family as nothing more than a cage and the main family as the oppressors who would do anything to save their own skin, even to the point of sacrificing branch members to achieve that goal.

And she was ashamed to admit that if she had to choose, she would definitely save the life of her husband first.

The Hyuuga matriarch sighed sorrowfully. What is she to do with him?

"Mother we're home!"

She quickly masked her sadness away and planted a smile on her face as she turned towards the back entrance. There, Hinata stood, bent over and panting from exertion. Behind her, Naruto walked up calmly though she could see traces of sweat on his skin. She arched an eyebrow at that. Were they running? From what?

"Hinata, dear, why are you breathing so hard?"

The little Hyuuga looked up and if anything, her flushed cheeks reddened even more. "A-ano…" She stammered out. "I-it's… well…"

"We were racing." Naruto's voice came out lazily as he leaned on the wall behind him. "It's nothing to fuss over. Hinata and I were bored so I went on and thought it would be more fun to run home as fast as we can."

"Oh?" Hinako looked from Hinata to Naruto to Hinata again. One looked nervous, poking her two fingers together in a cute fashion. The other was looking away, with his features carefully masked into a lazy, apathetic expression. Finally, she sighed and shook her head with a smile on her face.

"Well I suppose it's good exercise for the two of you."

Hinata looked up, obviously shocked that she was not receiving any form of punishment, and Naruto simply gave her a grin. Hinako leaned down close to her daughter and gave her a wink. "Don't listen to the boring old men in our clan Hinata. They don't know what's good for them. They'd rather stand tall and regal than to waste the energy to run and dirty their clothes."

Again, her little daughter looked shocked. Finally, her eyes drooped and she began to fiddle a bit once more. "B-but… the r-rules came from father."

"Ah…" Hinako's smile saddened somewhat, something that Naruto had noticed immediately. "Well I suppose he only wants what's best for you." Her grin returned as she brought a finger to her lips in a sign of silence. "But don't worry. I won't tell."

Hinata's disbelief melted into a shy smile. "T-thank you!" She said in a grateful tone. Hinako smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter in warm hug. It was good to feel her daughter again after so long.

Unfortunately for her, Hinata had stiffened immediately on contact.

Though it was brief and she quickly returned the action, Hinako had not missed that one moment of rigid-ness and neither had Naruto. The boy arched an eyebrow from where he was, confused at the way Hinata had stiffened for that one moment.

'_Huh… strange. Is she still not used to seeing her mom or something?'_

Hinako gave her daughter a soft pat on the head before gently pushing her away. "Now go in." she ordered sweetly. "And make sure you finish whatever homework that the academy gave you. You can work on other things once you've finished."

Hinata gave her mother a shy smile and nodded before turning around and quickly making her way into the compound. The Hyuuga matriarch watched her daughter go with a forlorn expression on her face, feeling a sense of longing welling up in her. She wanted to hold her daughter close to her, to love her even after the year that they've been separated.

But, she knew that Hinata still needed some time to herself.

The scars of an abused mental state cannot be undone just like that. She needed to be patient if she is to be able to help her daughter heal.

Sudden footsteps quickly broke her from her musings. The matriarch turned her head behind her, wary of who the person was, until she remembered that it was Naruto who had been leaning against the wall. She relaxed herself and offered the boy an apologetic smile, one which he seemed to have understood.

The two slowly began their track back into the Hyuuga compound, both not really having any reason to hurry. Hinako glanced down at the boy before her, who had his hands in his pant pockets and was staring at the complex with emotionless eyes. It slightly unnerved her to see how a few simple changes had made him seem like a total stranger.

Back then, Naruto was a seemingly cheerful boy with bright sky blue eyes. Now, almost all of that cheerfulness had disappeared, leaving a more reserved boy with solemn features not unlike those among veteran shinobis. It certainly didn't help that his new deep ocean blue eyes made him look all the more closed off from the world.

"… Do I look like a freak?"

The sudden question caught her completely by surprise. She had not thought that he would have noticed her looking him over. It unnerved her even more that he spoke of himself as a freak so casually. She shook her head and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "No." She murmured in return. "You don't look like one at all."

"Really?" Naruto looked up towards her, his eyes unbelieving.

"Really. You're a special boy, who's been given a gift. It is only because the villagers cannot see it that way that they shun you." Hinako knelt down and hugged him gently. "But I see it that way and for that, I don't think you're a freak at all."

"…" Naruto stayed silent, deciding to merely stand content within her arms.

'_You're not a freak at all. You're a blessing, a reminder of that those who sacrificed themselves did not do so in vain.'_

**owo**

The night was cold, almost unnaturally so. Just about everyone in the village were indoors now, as the cold night air outside made many reconsider the thought of venturing anywhere else.

Of course, there are some definite exceptions.

Hyuuga Hinata stirred restlessly on her futon, trying to find the best possible spot in which she could finally fall asleep in.

She hated nights like these. For some reason, whenever it gets cold enough like now, she would find it next to impossible to find rest. Piling sheets on top of sheets didn't help at all and for the most part, only sheer exhaustion to the highest degree can knock her out.

She highly doubted that she'll be sleeping anytime soon.

Frustrated, the young Hyuuga sat up from her futon. She slowly got up, shivering, and padded over to her door.

'_Maybe some water will help me go to sleep.'_

There would be times in which drinking some form of liquid would help her. Though most of those times involved a stressful state that needed to be relaxed, there were the few instances in which she could sleep after getting something to drink.

Hinata stifled a yawn as she slid open her door.

And stopped completely.

The young Hyuuga stared up at the wall of her complex, where the moon shone brightly in the clear night sky. There, a silhouette was crouching on the roof of the wall, seemingly staring at something. As far as she could tell, this person was either going to sneak in or out and both aren't ideas she is very happy to think about.

Hinata quickly formed a ram hand seal and closed her eyes. She remembered the training she had received since she was three, with the elders and her father teaching her how to pump chakra into her eyes. Though she had only accomplished some of the more basic of chakra control, she needed to use it this once to see who that person is.

'_Byakugan!'_

Hinata felt the tell-tale signs of veins growing and knowing that she only had a few moments, quickly opened her eyes. The strength of her Byakugan allowed her to quickly lengthen her vision until she was able to see the person much more closely. Her _doujutsu _also allowed her to have better vision in the dark, allowing her to quickly make out just who that person was.

When she saw him, she gasped.

The person crouching on the wall was Naruto.

Bewildered, she quickly deactivated her Byakugan. Why was Naruto up and ready to leave? Clearly, his actions are incredibly suspicious and she couldn't help but be reminded of what her father had told about the cloud ninja and the sacrifice of uncle Hizashi. Was he thinking of kidnapping someone as well?

Suddenly, Naruto leapt off of the wall, disappearing from her sight. Hinata, being determined to find out just what was going on, quickly pulled on a large jacket over her yukata and ran out of her room, intent on catching up to the blond.

**owo**

"…Hiashi-sama…" The clan head opened his eyes, resting his gaze onto his wife calmly. Hinako, on the other hand, looked worry. They both had heard the footsteps that came from the other side of the main family complex. They both knew that that side of the complex was where both Hinata and Naruto slept in.

Hinako was worried. Was there another ninja that attempting a kidnap on her daughter? Or was it a shinobi who knew of Naruto's whereabouts and trying to take him away to be killed silently?

The matriarch sat up from their bed, just two seconds away from bolting it and tailing whoever left those footsteps, when Hiashi gently grabbed her arm. He shook his head when she looked at him questioningly and gently pulled her back down.

Hinako found she had no time to be playing around. "Hiashi-sama! Why aren't we going after them? They could have taken Hinata or Naru-!" whatever she was about to say was silenced by a finger pressed against her lips. Surprised, she looked up to see her husband watching her calmly, with no trace of anger or resentment. If anything, he looked reserved, as if accepting anything thrown at him.

"… Let them go my dear. They need to know about this the most."

"They? You already know who those footsteps belong to."

"Yes." Hiashi closed his eyes for a moment as he contented himself with her warmth and presence.

"Then who are they?"

"The first one was little Uzumaki. The second belonged to our daughter." Hiashi sighed and positioned himself into a more relaxed position before continuing. "I've known ever since I presented my case to the Hyuuga elders that Uzumaki would be wanting to seek answers. I merely provided the information in where to get the answers." He turned towards her and opened his eyes, matching her gaze calmly and without fear. "If you were the boy, would you not want to know the reason behind your discrimination?"

"…T-that's true… but how will he take that news?"

Hiashi looked away, his expression suddenly turning into one of worry. This was enough to prod her attention. "Hiashi-sama…?"

"…A few months ago, I was one of the representatives sent as ambassadors for Sunagakure. During our week long stay, I noticed something strangely familiar in that village. A boy was discriminated against, treated as a monster and never to be in touch with anyone. That boy was also a container for a sealed Bijuu."

Hinako gasped. Suna… Suna has a container as well?

"As I was staying there, I could not help but notice the similarities in how they are treated. However, that boy's exposure had already progressed much deeper than Uzumaki's. It certainly didn't help that the boy was an insomniac. It is highly likely that that boy's sanity will have already deteriorated by now due to both the insomnia his possesses and the discrimination the village gives him. If we are not careful, Uzumaki will be just like that."

"…" Hinako was silent as she mulled over what her husband had said. Finally, she propped herself up on an elbow to meet his gaze.

"Tell me." She said quietly.

"Hmmm?"

"Tell me why you did what you did to our daughter."

**owo**

Naruto was silent as he made his way through the floors of the Hokage tower. It was surprisingly easy to get past the guards, especially since they were indoors to stay warm. All he needed were a few well placed sleeping gas and the guards dropped like logs.

He had planned this. Ever since Hiashi had spoken of him and his partial identity, he had plotted for this day. Now, he's going to make sure that the one person capable of telling him will not leave the tower without doing so.

"…" Naruto narrowed his eyes and made his way towards the final room, so focused on his task that he did not noticed the silent shadow hiding near the corner.

Hinata watched on worriedly as Naruto stood in front of the Hokage's doors. For some reason, he had decided to see the old Hokage, even going so far as to knock out the guards. She did not know what the reason was but she knew that actions such as those were a crime. She didn't want to see him get punished.

On the one hand, he looked serious. That had been the first time she had ever seen that expression on his face.

'_Naruto-kun… why is this so important? Why couldn't you wait?'_

Hinata was jarred from her thoughts as the door was pushed open. She quickly made her way to the door and peered inside.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and walked in, meeting the calm gaze of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage. The old Hokage met his gaze calmly, like gentle rapids.

It pissed him off.

"I think you know why I'm here jiji." Sarutobi closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes…" He replied. "Hiashi told me to expect you to come."

"Good." Naruto glared at him and nodded towards the darkened portrait of the Yondaime. "Then you can start by fessing up. Why am I known as the "Yondaime's Legacy"? More importantly, why is this linked to how I've been treated." Naruto walked over to Sarutobi and placed his hands on the desk to help him lean forward.

"Leave nothing out."

**owo**

**Again, I'm confused. The chapter was here until like noon. Then, all of a sudden when I checked, it went back to six chapters! Meh... I dunno what happened but as long as this one doesn't get deleted again I'll be happy. Sorry about the weirdness people and oh, as an update, Chapter 8 is going along pretty smoothly right now. It should be ready by next week if I'm lucky.**

**Till then people.**

**-Phoenix  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: what's this? An early update!!? OMG I must love you guys!! OwO! **

**Haha well I seem to have had some free time this week so the update came a whole day early. I have even more free time this week with Thanksgiving and all so who knows, maybe I can upload a story in time for Thanksgiving too. But, in case I can't, I'll like to give an early "Happy Thanksgiving!" to all the people here. Hope you guys are going to stuff your faces full. As for me, I'll be camping out for Black Friday OwO**

**Edit: Oh an on a side not, the idiot who decided to review anonymously as 'No more NaruHina!', why don't you grow a backbone and review with an actual account or are you that much of a wuss? If you didn't like the story then don't read it idiot and furthermore, I can make this story go however I want.**

**Get this over your stupid block head: **

**It's my story. I get rights over it, not you.  
**

**NOW ON WITH THE STORY!**

---

**owo**

Uchiha Sasuke found that he could not sleep at all that night. He had been tossing and turning around restlessly in his apartment ever since he fell into his bed. Images of his clan's slaughter and his brother's identity as the murderer still haunts him even though it's been months now. It certainly didn't help that for some reason, his room was uncomfortably warm.

'…_Kuso…'_

The young Uchiha grunted in annoyance and slowly got out of bed. He brought a hand up to feel his forehead and was surprised to feel sweat close to dripping from his face. Had it really been that warm?

"Hn…" he muttered quietly. "Maybe some fresh air can do me good."

He went over and opened up a window, allowing the breeze to cool down his body and the room.

"…" It felt good. He liked the feeling of a cold breeze going through his body, rejuvenating it and sharpening his groggy mind.

Sasuke leaned out of the window, staring at the dark expanse that was his village, lost in thought over his childhood.

He remembered how in nights like these, his mother would go into his room to make sure that he was warm and asleep. During the rare instances when he would be awake, she would gather him in her arms and wrap the blanket around the both of them. The comfortable warmth and the soft lullaby tune that she would hum would always have him drift to sleep in no time. It was moments like those that he cherished greatly.

But all of that is gone now. His mother is dead along with his father and the rest of his clan. Sasuke clenched a fist with anger and hatred at that. His clan was all gone, massacred by his brother. Even now, after months of therapy and rest, he could still hear the dying screams of his clansmen, all projected by his brother's new Sharingan.

"Kuso…" He needs power. He needs to have strength so that he can avenge the deaths of his clan. Only when he could feel the life leaving his brother's body will he be able to feel their spirits rest and their death-cries wither.

The young Uchiha heaved a sigh. Whenever he thought about his clan and his brother, an incredible weight would settle in his heart. In time, it would leave but its presence would always remain. It was like a reminder to him that he cannot stray from his path, that he must set out and take revenge for his dead clansmen.

Sasuke didn't need to be reminded. He knew his path.

"And when the time comes, I'll restore the Uchiha clan… and protect it for as long as I live. That's a promise… huh?" A sudden movement caught his attention. Sasuke glanced down at the dark roofs just below his apartment. For a second, he thought he saw something move. Was it his imagination?

'_No… there!'_

From within the darkness, he could see the silhouette of a person crouching against a wall, peering out to see if there were anyone in his path. The figure glanced around him for a bit before hopping over the wall and continuing his trek through the village.

Now if that wasn't suspicious then he needed a brain test. It wasn't just the fact that the person was clearly trying to sneak somewhere. It also mattered that whoever this person was, he was heading straight towards the Hokage's tower. Sasuke wouldn't like to admit it but the old Sandaime has a special place in his heart for he was the one to help him when he was still in that trauma. If there was anything he could do, he would do it.

It also didn't help that he was now curious to know who would be sneaking out at night.

"…Feh… I wasn't really tired anyway." Sasuke reached out to grab a jacket, wrapped it around himself, and leapt out of the window to land on the roof below. By now, the figure was almost unseen due to the distance and dimness of the night. Sasuke gave a soft curse as he began his pursuit on the person.

The cold night air whipped his body like a river current as he ran and jumped over roofs in his chase for the mysterious sneak. It didn't really matter to Sasuke as he had his jacket and the 'exercise' to keep himself from shivering. Right now, if anything, the cold win was making him excited. Adrenaline pumped into his veins, giving him a sense of a thrill in this cold night chase.

Yet even in this breath moment of excitement, he was worried. Who was this person? Who would have the audacity or recklessness to be sneaking to the Hokage's tower? Sasuke knew that the Sandaime was old and a little weird but he was given the title of Hokage and if Iruka-sensei's lectures were true, then he was once haled as the God Amongst Shinobis. Even in old age, it would at least take another Kage to defeat him. Who would be stupid enough to try in this village?

Or was this person even trying at all?

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in frustration. He hated not knowing things.

A series of light steps from the ground suddenly caught his attention. Glancing down, he saw another person just a little ahead of him giving chase to the hidden figure as well. However, either this person did not care to be spotted or figured that heading to the tower from the ground would be much easier than jumping over roof tops.

Sasuke would have to agree on that.

Thankfully though, a few lights were still on in the form of streetlights. The person on the ground was much easier to be made out. At first glance in the moment light flashed the person's body, he knew who it was.

Only one person would have a traditional haircut like that.

It was Hyuuga Hinata.

Now he was even more curious. Who could it be that would have the Hyuuga girl chase after in such a hurry? Was it another clan member?

Sasuke shook his head and continued his track. He didn't have to worry about the Hyuuga catching him. She looked too engrossed in tailing that person to notice him anyways.

He didn't know if he should feel grateful or insulted.

The boy grimaced at his scattered thinking. Why in the world was he worry about that when he should be tailing the person as well? Sasuke returned his attention to the shadowed person…

Only to find that he had disappeared.

'_What!?'_

Sasuke sped up even more, now looking around frantically for the person that he had lost. Yet no matter where he looked, the roofs were bare of anyone besides him.

'_Dammit! I only looked away for a second! Where did he go?'_

Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger. If only he had the Sharingan activated… then he wouldn't have to worry about looking hard for anything in this stupid darkness.

'_No… wait. That person was heading straight towards the Hokage's tower and now, it's right in front of them. If anything, that person would be trying to scale the walls, hoping to get directly to the Hokage's room unless…'_

Sasuke glanced down from the roof and almost fell over. The idiot mystery person was right there, pushing on the door.

'…_unless someone's stupid enough to go in from the front entrance.'_

As the figure rushed in to the Hokage's tower, Sasuke quickly jumped off of a railing, using elementary chakra control to increase his leap. The dark haired youth landed on the third roof of the tower and immediately, jumped again. He continued doing this until finally, he reached the top roof.

Upon landing, Sasuke quickly headed over towards a ventilation shaft, kicking open the bars before diving in. He had to get in to the Hokage's room, to see what is going to happen, if anything at all.

Yet… when Sasuke finally reached the end of the shaft and the top of the ceiling floor, he heard nothing. It was odd that there was no noise as the person would have most likely triggered some type of alarm. Who else would be stupid enough to dive in from the bottom?

Sasuke slowly made his way towards the opening to the ceiling, being careful to creep as slowly and cautiously as possible. After all, he highly doubted that the Hokage would think highly of him if he were to be caught sneaking in to his office. When Sasuke peered down, he found nothing out of the ordinary. The Hokage was down there, smoking on that pipe of his, and staring straight across.

Wait… why was he staring across?

Suddenly, the sounds of doors being pushed open rang out from within the silent office. Sasuke felt a stir well up in him. That person… managed to get through eighteen floors without triggering a single alarm? Impossible…

"I assume you know why I'm here Jiji." That voice sounded somewhat familiar. Sasuke knew he heard it before but he couldn't place it. It definitely wasn't Itachi's but it definitely belongs to someone from within the village. The voice sounded young too, meaning that this person cannot possibly be that much older than him.

A kid, like him, sneaking past eighteen floors of security without triggering a single alarm.

"Yes." Sasuke quickly returned his attention to the old Hokage, who replied to the kid's accusation. "Hiashi told me to expect you to come."

Hiashi… Sasuke knew he heard that name before as well.

If memory serves, Hiashi is the given name of the Hyuuga clan head. He is quite famous for being a strict and collected person. Or at least, that's what his father had told him from before. But what did the clan head have to do with this? First the girl, Hinata, was chasing after this kid, now they mention the head of the Hyuuga clan too?

What's going on?

"Good." The kid replied. "Then you can start by fessing up. Why am I known as the "Yondaime's Legacy"? More importantly, why is this linked to how I've been treated?"

As the kid said this, his voice got closer and closer, indicating that he was walking over towards the Hokage's desk. Finally, Sasuke was able to glimpse at the kid as he placed his hands firmly on the Hokage's desk. The Uchiha felt his eyes widened in disbelief. He definitely knew who that kid was.

Messy blond hair.

Deep blue eyes with no pupils.

Three whisker marks on each cheek.

"Leave nothing out."

'_Uzumaki… Naruto."_

**owo**

There was a time in Sarutobi Hiruzen's life where he felt he could have taken on the whole shinobi world and still come out on top. Back then, he had the backing of the village, of Fire Country, and of their pride to ensure that he could travel to hell and back, to return to them.

But that was too many years ago and after too many hard decisions.

Now, Hiruzen can only feel sorrow and guilt in his being. The once great love he had for the village had dimmed with age and sacrifice and he can no longer feel the power of their backing anymore.

He feels guilt over the fact that it was not he, the previous generation, to have made the ultimate sacrifice those few years ago, leaving his successor to take that mantle and die in his place. He felt sorrow that a legacy was left when it was not its time and that the people, so caught up in their fear and sorrow, lashed on its innocent soul.

Now, that same legacy is standing before him, demanding answers that he has the right to know.

Hiruzen glanced up at the portrait hung on the ceiling. Yondaime's solemn expression, mixed in with the darkness, made him look as he was accusing him of not protecting Naruto enough, of allowing the village to become what it has.

He bowed his head away from the portrait, acutely aware that his failures have finally borne the fruits of his consequences. He now had to prepare himself, to allow his being to accept the consequences and to try and right the wrong done.

But he is old, and now his heart is faint on certain subjects. It is his fear of the boy's reaction to every news given that has stopped him from telling till now. Even now that the boy is right in front of him, Hiruzen can feel the reluctance to divulge everything to him, if only for because he does not think the boy is strong enough to protect himself with that knowledge.

"…Unfortunately, I cannot tell you everything. If you want to know the truth of your heritage, you have to become strong enough to defend it." Hiruzen leaned back into his chair, puffing at his pipe as he said this. "However, I will not deny you to right to know what happened when you were born."

He motioned for Naruto to sit and after a moment, he did.

"…Six years ago, our village was beginning to emerge as the superpower amongst all other shinobi villages. We had an abundance in resources, solid treaties with neighboring countries, and an army of shinobis numbering to the thousands. Back then, I had retired and as you know, my successor became the Yondaime. During his reign, the village prospered greatly and generally, everything was peaceful."

Naruto felt like he was being lectured in a history class. He already knew what Sandaime-Jiji was saying. Yet, why was he saying this again? And why was his tone so grave?

"It is during our greatest peak in strength, that suddenly, a disaster struck the village." Hiruzen got up from his chair and walked over to the large window behind him, to help him see the village in it's dark glory. He felt that if he had stayed in his seat, he would not be able to meet Naruto's gaze, especially not after what he will tell him.

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune, Greatest of the Nine, attacked Konoha. It's strength was so powerful that from where it was, it could cause a way of heat and wind to tear off buildings like a hurricane, with a simple swipe of its claws. Thousands of brave shinobis went to meet the demon head on, stalling it's rampage as best they could." Sarutobi closed his eyes in sorrow. "Many of them perished before the demon's rage."

"The death toll kept mounting until finally, the Yondaime managed to prepare his method for defeating the Bijuu. With the strength of his chakra and a pact with the Shinigami, he managed to defeat the Kyuubi at the cost of his life."

"Will you quit it already!?" Naruto stood up impatiently and banged his fist onto the desk in anger. "I already know all of this! What I don't know is what does this all have to do with me!"

"…" Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth and exhaled, breathing out a steady cloud of smoke. He then replied slowly, almost reluctantly. "The tale of the Yondaime killing the Kyuubi was a lie."

Whatever anger that was still in Naruto suddenly flowed out in shock. It… it was a lie? Does that mean that the Yondaime was not as great a hero as everyone made him out to be? Why was that tale lied about in the first place?

"The tale of the Yondaime killing the Kyuubi was put in place to make sure that the future generation, those that were too young to know, would never realize the truth. I even decreed that speaking of the truth was an S-class felony with execution as the consequence."

Why would the old man go to such lengths to protect this secret? Why?

"…The truth is, the Yondaime did not have the strength to kill the Kyuubi. There is no possible way for anyone to be able to kill a Bijuu for they are a representation of the world and it's chaotic elements. So, he devised another way to defeat the demon. The Yondaime was a master of fuinjutsu, seal techniques, and during the Kyuubi's rampage, he had been working non stop to perfect a particular seal that he knew would be able to defeat the monster."

"Then, on that faithful evening, Yondaime rode out atop Gamabunta's head, and performed the seal. He sacrificed his own soul so that the Shinigami, an entity greater than even the earthly demons, would be able to tear out the Kyuubi's soul and chakra from its body. However, Yondaime also needed a container with which to hold that soul and chakra in. He needed a child whose umbilical cord was freshly cut and whose chakra coils were not developed."

Naruto suddenly felt a sense of foreboding well up within him. His eyes were wide and his body moisten with sweat. It can't be… it's impossible.

"W-what are you saying…?"

Hiruzen finally turned away from the window and met Naruto's fearful gaze calmly. He fully turned himself to give the boy his attention and answered. "On that night, a child was born. On that night, a demon was defeated. The Yondaime could not kill the demon so he sealed it away into a newborn child. That child was you, Naruto."

"You are the prison and the jailor for the most powerful Bijuu in existence. You are the container for the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

**owo**

It had almost been a week since that faithful night. Ever since then, Naruto had kept himself to his room, refusing all entries and never stepping out of those doors. The only indication that he was even alive were those moments when Hinata would bring a tray of foods and when she returned, they would be out and empty.

Naturally, Hinata and her parents were worried for him. They all had a feeling that something was wrong, that something terrible was going to happen to Naruto yet he would refuse to allow them to see him, would ignore their attempts to talk.

Through this all, Hinata herself was feeling a mixture of shock and guilt.

She knew… the moment when she had seen Naruto that night overlooking the village, that whatever he was doing, he had wanted no one to know. Yet she had followed because she was worried, because she was scared that he might leave them again, because she was curious and wanted to know why he was acting the way he did.

Now, she cannot help but feel this profound sense guilt that she had intruded on this personal affair. She felt terrible that a secret only Naruto had the right to know, was suddenly in her knowledge.

But during the first few days after the revelation, she had been in shock and horror.

Everything that she had learned in the Academy about the Kyuubi's defeat at the hands of the Yondaime had been fake. The Kyuubi was not dead, it was still alive in soul and that soul was being contained by Naruto, the boy that she admired.

At first she wanted to deny this fact, that the demon still lived within Naruto's body. She could not believe that a monster often tied to death and destruction would be held within the boy's body. It scared her to even think of boy and the shadow that her mind suddenly conjured behind him.

She was now ashamed to admit that she became scared of Naruto.

She became so insecure with herself, with her beliefs, with kindness that Naruto had given her in the past and present, that she was wondering if it had been the fox inside him playing tricks on her, that the boy was but a shell and the soul actually belonged to the demon. She began to think irrationally, figuring that the boy from her past, so cheerful and energetic with those sky blue eyes, had been the real Naruto and that the boy now, solemn and reserve with those dark ocean blue eyes with no pupils was the representation of the Kyuubi.

She confronted her mother the day after she learned about Naruto and the Kyuubi, and demanded to know if Naruto was actually a demon and that the boy she admired was nothing but an illusion. She hysterically asked if Naruto could be saved and if the demon inside him could be transferred to someone else.

Her mother's response had been a harsh slap to the face.

That had been the first time Hinata had ever seen her mother angry and truthfully, she never wanted to see it again. Before, she had thought her father to be scary already but when she had seen her mother with rage in those eyes and a cloud of anger so dense that she felt it weighed down, her fear bounded onto her mother.

After she had slapped her, her mother had walked away but not before leaving words that still echo in her mind now.

"_If you can only see him as the demon that he contains and not truly see him with your heart, then you are no daughter of mine. He has suffered enough with the village acting as you do now. I don't want him to feel the same in this household as well. I expect you to think on this Hinata and if I ever hear you say those words again, I won't stop to talk to you about it."_

The slap had jarred her mind awake and for two whole days, she had spent her time cooped up in her room and mulling over what her mother had said.

When she had reached her conclusion, Hinata found herself ashamed. When she finally walked out and saw all those people playing around outside, she wanted a hole to suddenly appear on the ground and swallow her up for acting so careless and shameful towards Naruto.

She wanted to make up to him, to ask for his forgiveness in how she had acted. But when she tried to reach him, there would be no response. The only reason she knew he was still in would be the occasional Byakugan usage. She would always see him huddled against a wall with his arms wrapped around his knees. She wanted to speak to him but… she was too scared to do anything and for the past three days, resigned herself to be his silent aid.

But now, on the day of his birth and without anyone to disturb them this evening, she finally had the courage. She will go into that room and speak to him, to make sure that he's alright and to ask for his forgiveness. She wouldn't be able to live with herself otherwise.

"I'll make it up you Naruto-kun, I promise!" Hinata told herself as she rounded the corner. "Because you've always been an important person to me!"

But all of a sudden, she immediately knew that something was wrong.

When she got to the corridor that led to Naruto's room, she saw the dinner tray she left for him, with the food still there. Hinata's eyes widened as she quickly moved to his door. She knocked on his door only out of politeness, receiving no response, and immediately activated her Byakugan.

The room was empty.

"…He's not there…" Her mind seemingly blanked out that moment, bewildered into a stupor over the empty room. Then, the weight of her words kicked in and she quickly ran off in desperation. She had to find him quickly!

"MOTHER!"

Hinako looked up from the koi pond in their garden to see her daughter running towards her as fast as she had ever seen her. Hinata stopped in front of her mother, panting for breath, and pointed back to the direction of Naruto's room.

"M-mother… Naruto-kun… he-he isn't in his room!"

Hinako's eyes widened in shock. Today is not a good day for Naruto to be out of the compound. With the Kyuubi festival going on outside and many of the participants getting drunk, Naruto's life is more than danger than ever.

"…Tsuki." A branch member dropped from her observational point and bowed before Hinako. "Get as much members as possible coming the village. I want Naruto-kun to be found and brought back to the complex unharmed!" The branch member nodded and immediately disappeared to carry out her orders.

Hinako turned to her daughter and nodded.

"Let's go."

**owo**

Everyone was having fun. Children were laughing and chasing each other, wearing those stupid white fox masks. Parents were busy chatting with other adults or drinking, mingling with the mass and sharing the joy.

It was a beautiful night too. A perfect night for a festival.

"Tch…" He hated it.

Naruto's gaze was like that of a dead man as he walked past the booths, the children, the adults, the flow of people that blurred into useless shapes and colors.

How… how is it possible? These people live on their lives in perfect ignorance. Or at least, the children were. The adults themselves were so stupid that they allow themselves to enjoy the festival to its greatest. They had no idea that the so called demon was walking in their midst. They continue to indulge in their fun.

They had no idea that he was feeling like this.

"Sorry!" Some random kid had ran into him, bumping his shoulder and running off. Naruto placed his palm over the slightly throbbing area for a moment, wondering what he should do.

"…" The open palm soon closed into a tight fist. Naruto's eyes narrowed and his teeth grinded together in anger. Oh, he definitely hated their ignorance.

The young blond continued his wander, now noticing that as he got deeper and deeper through the festivities, there were less and less children, more and more adults. He suddenly felt that he stood out like a sore thumb.

Naruto stopped and glanced around. Yeah, he definitely stood out and the adults knew it. He mentally cursed himself and the festival as a few guys with drinks walked up with big giant grins on their face.

"Well would you look at that, great master Kitsune is here to grace us with his presence!"

"Hehe, yeah and look at those eyes. Oooooo scary!"

"Man he sure gives people the chills doesn't he? As expected of the damn monster."

"Shut up." The three guys halted their mocking and returned their attention to the demon boy before them. Naruto's teeth were grinding in anger and his fists were clenched tightly. At that moment, even a blind man can tell he's angry. "I'm not a monster."

Unfortunately, drunkenness is even lower than blindness in the level of perception.

"HAHAHAHA!! He says he's not a monster! Did you hear that?"

"Oh I'm sorry Kitsune-chan, you're definitely a human in our books. Would you like a treat now?"

"Heh, definitely not a monster. More like an annoying demon that can't die." Naruto suddenly screamed in pain as his head was grabbed by one of the drunks and slammed forcefully onto the ground. The man grinned at his two friends, and they went back to get something. The man returned his attention to the boy in his grasp and lifted him up to eye level by the hair. "Listen up you stain on the world, my brother died on this day seven years ago fighting you. And I know that you enjoyed killing him just like how you enjoyed turning our village into a mass grave. Well guess what? We're out for some blood too and look who came to satisfy our little hunger."

Naruto managed to open his eyes and see past the openings on the man's fingers. Behind him, the other two pulled out a crate covered in some strange seals. Now scared, he looked around to see why wasn't anyone doing anything.

They were all watching.

They were all silently cheering.

Naruto's eyes widened as realization took over him. They wanted him dead just as much as these men do too.

"No…" He whispered. "No! I'm not a monster! I'm not a monster! I'm human!"

"SHUT UP!" The boy croaked painfully as a fist planted itself into his stomach. He bent over in pain yet even that did not seem enough. The man dragged him by the hair towards the crate where the other two had the lid waiting. Naruto grunted in pain as he was tossed in.

He immediately tried to get out of the crate but the man's foot planted itself into his chest to prevent him from moving.

Finally, the lid fell in place, leaving Naruto in a world of darkness. He screamed out and banged on the walls around him, hoping for a miracle to happen and that he will be saved.

'Someone… someone help me! Please…'

Suddenly, there was light. Naruto immediately scrambled in the confined space but the light was only a small circle in the lid. The man's eye appeared and if anything, he looked like he was enjoying it.

"You should be happy." He gloated. "The seals covering this box are containment seals specifically made to enclose something in a barrier. In other words, no one will hear you, no one will see you, and no one will feel your chakra."

The lid was fully sealed but not before Naruto heard that man's parting words. "The best way to die is to die alone. Go and wallow over yourself in darkness demon. No one's saving you now."

"Wallow over yourself in darkness demon…"

"Ah…ah…ah…" Naruto clutched his head as the voice kept repeating itself to him. He trapped, trapped in darkness. And the only words he had left were those condemning him as a demon.

"I'm not a demon… I'm a human too…"

**owo**

Hinata didn't know where to look. When her mother took her to the festival to search for Naruto, the two had been almost blinded by how many kids there were. To make matters worse, almost all the kids were wearing some type of mask.

The young heiress looked around frantically. She had to find Naruto. She has to tell that it's okay, that it's nothing she cares about anymore.

But she can't find him.

"Mother… I-I can't find him." The little Hyuuga looked up to her mother, who was scanning the crowds with her Byakugan. Hinako narrowed her eyes when she noted that none of the children here were Naruto. The other Hyuugas searching had reported that Naruto wasn't anywhere is within the festival so that left only one place left: The bar areas.

"Come Little Hina." She grabbed her daughters arm and together they raced to the last unseen area. "We'll find Naruto-kun, don't worry. We'll bring him home."

They continued to run pass blurs that were people and stores, now no longer set on locating the boy in those areas but now heading towards the last possible place he could be. Hinata glanced up for a moment and from the way people were jumping along the roofs, the branch members were all converging into that place as well.

_'Naruto-kun…'_

"…We're here." Hinako narrowed her eyes and scanned the whole area for the blond. Yet he was not here as well.

But something was not right. The villagers here had a strangely satisfied expression on their faces and many of the usual drinkers that she had seen were partying. No… something was definitely wrong here.

She brushed aside a strand of hair from her face, holding it up to allow one ear free. She then proceeded to pump some chakra into her ear to help her hear what the partying people were saying.

She didn't really have to decipher the chanting they were giving.

The matriarch's eyes widened and the grip she had on her daughter loosened. Hinata looked up questionably towards her mother. What was wrong? Did something just happened?

"Hinata, dear." Her mother spoke calmly. "Can you please wait over here for a moment? I don't want you to see this."

Despite her mother's calm tone, there was an underlying tone of force in it. Her mother was not asking, she was ordering her. Hinata found that she was immediately following those orders as she watched her mother make her way into one of the more populated bars. Did she find out where Naruto was?

**Crash!**

Suddenly, the whole bar fell silent as one of the people in it fell out, coughing. Hinako slowly stepped out into view and calmly waited for the man to get up. "Now," she spoke calmly. "Tell me what you did with the Uzumaki Naruto."

"Kuh! You damn bitch!" The drunk pulled out a knife and brandished it to her threateningly. "Do you wanna fight that bad? Huh!?"

"Hmph, I don't recall asking for a fight but let me tell you this: You harm me and your life is forfeit." Sudden shadows appeared all above them and the man looked up, to see Hyuugas perched and ready. Even though he was hammered, he wasn't drunk enough to fight a whole crowd of shinobis. "Consider this area under martial law."

"Now tell me: Where is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Kh…" The man's face suddenly split into a wide grin. "I don't know anyone named Uzumaki Naruto. Why don't you ask someone else?"

Apparently, the man has a big mouth.

Hinako calmly walked over towards the man, not even showing a hint of emotion. When she was close enough, she offered the man a small, cruel smile. The next thing that man knew, his world had erupted into a one of pain.

She had just kicked him in the groin.

"AUUUUGGHHH! YOU BITCH! ARGGGHHH!" Hinako stood calmly as the man howled in pain on the floor, clutching his broken manhood. She calmly reached down and grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling him up with cruel harshness.

"Tell me where he is."

Hinako did not like acting like she does now. By heart, she is a kind individual with the proof in her previous occupation as a medic-nin. But she had learned to adopt the cold persona of a Hyuuga leader in her time with Hiashi and when she had to meet with other leaders. She didn't like it but at times, it got the point across.

And right now, it was doing a good job of making the man wet his pants.

Hinako grimaced at the smell of urine but held firm. In fact, her grip tightened as she reached and pulled out a kunai hidden in her sleeve. She placed it threateningly on the man's throat, her eyes cold as ice. "I won't ask again."

"A-Alright alright! I'll get him out!" The matriarch promptly dropped the fool. The man slowly got to his feet, now thoroughly scared of the woman in front of him, and ran to one of the alleys. Hinako watched as he pulled off a covering over some crates and pulled out a large wooden box covered with seals.

"T-there, I have it out, now I'm out of here!"

"Wait." Hinako's cold voice stopped him dead in his tracks. She pointed her kunai at him and directed it towards the box. "Open it."

"W-what?" If he opened it and that brat saw him…who knows what will happen? He could be sentenced to execution by the Hokage should this be made public! He didn't want that, he wanted to live!

The killing intent in the air suddenly thickened and Hinako brandished her kunai threateningly.

That was enough for him. The man quickly took the key in his hand and opened up the lock. He then proceeded to pull the lid off.

The next second, his body was torn to shreds.

Hinako's eyes widened in horror as the man's sliced up sections fell to the floor like cut up cucumbers. She looked into the darkness of the crate, hoping that the boy she knew was still in there. No… she didn't want to think that. He _had _to be in there!

Suddenly, a pair of blood red eyes glimmered in the darkness. They glared at her furiously and at that moment, she saw the shadow behind the crate. The shadow, a representation of a person's killing intent, was of a large nine tailed fox. The boy's killing intent took the shape of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

**owo**

**A/N: Well! How was it? I think I made the scene of Naruto and the drunks as realistic as possible though I'm far from perfect xP**

**Oh and kudos for the guys that saw my little Lord of the Rings addition to this chapter. I couldn't help it since I was watching it as I was typing this stuff up. The thing about the Witch King just kinda stood out and his 'Greatest of the Nine' thing sounded so dramatic :P  
**

**Again, leave some reviews and feedbacks for this story. Tell me what you think and if I did a good job on the chapter. Till next week people.**

**-Phoenix**

**REVIEW!!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**After a long and exhausting battle to remain unfinished, Naruto, Chapter 9, is out! Apologies for not being able to get it out sooner. Lack of time and energy has caused this overdue chapter from being out earlier. No excuses I'm afraid but I'll try to make the next one before christmas, a little early christmas present for you guys ;]**

**Anyways, some people were quite curious about Naruto's eye technique and I can't exactly give it out in the open but I can give you a hint. Yes, it is definitely based on an anime that I've watched. Here's a clue: The anime is based on a game, and the game deals with vampires and demons. Kudos for those who can get it right away. **

**Also as a PS, the anime sucked. The game was much better.**

**Anyways, I won't take your time any further. Here's the next chapter!**

**owo  
**

"…Those fools."

That was the only thing that Sarutobi Hiruzen could say as the whole village became flooded with the Kyuubi's youki. From the direction of the festival, he could even see the blurry shadow of a very strong killing intent.

He didn't need to figure who it belongs to.

"Tenzou." The shadows from one side of his office distorted, bending until it revealed a hidden person in a hooded beige cloak and a white ANBU mask. The person walked over towards Hiruzen and bowed before him.

"Yes sir?"

"What can you feel from here?"

The ANBU captain did not waste a reply. He stood up, glanced over at the now lightless area in the festivities, before speaking. "It is obvious that the youki and killing intent spreading across the village is from the Kyuubi no Kitsune. If we do not act soon, then there will be casualties."

"…And do you believe it is the boy's fault that the demon's chakra is unleashed?"

"…" Tenzou did not give an immediate response. Rather, the Sandaime did not expect anyone to give an immediate response to that question. It is not the most easiest question to answer for, after all.

Finally, the ANBU captain gave his reply. "The boy is partially responsible, that much I believe. Even though one can be expected to fall into shock when they are given such a mind-rending revelation, they cannot be stupid enough to go and head into the very manifestation of the village's hatred and fear of him. The boy had it coming."

Tenzou was expecting a reprisal from the old Hokage before him. After all, Sarutobi Hirzuen treated Naruto quite kindly and in return, Naruto views him as one of the few people he could trust.

He was not expecting the Hokage to suddenly laugh.

"…Sir? I'm sorry but I do not see the humor in this."

"Ah… forgive me Tenzou, I did not mean to laugh so suddenly." Though… from the way that Sandaime still chuckled a little, it gave a sense that he really _wasn't _that sorry.

"Tenzou, you must know that a boy, especially one who is still a child, cannot take news like that lightly. Granted, I know for a fact that you were able to cope with your knowledge in your own abilities only because you lived with the knowledge. Naruto, having only a few days to process such a monumental string of information, cannot possibly be thinking clearly, especially on the day of his birth, which also became his least favorite day of the year."

"…Then would it not have been a better idea to have told him this sooner?"

"…" Hiruzen sighed and puffed at his pipe for a moment, to relax himself. "…Yes. In hindsight, it was rather foolish of me to have told him all that with him still being at such a young age. However, I cannot deny his right to know. Out of everyone in the village, Naruto himself is the one to have the greatest privilege in this information. Should he come and ask for it, I have no choice but to give it to him. Not doing so would have been an insult to the memory of his parents and my own predecessors."

A sudden shockwave of power rippled through the village, passing through the two shinobis like flame through a piece of wood. Not even Hiruzen himself was able to stand still as his body shivered involuntarily to the sheer menace that the chakra gave off. The old Hokage sighed, turned to give Tenzou a nod, and the two disappeared in puffs of smoke.

They were going to stop this before it got out of hand.

**owo**

Her eyes were wide with fear, not just for herself but for everyone around her. From atop the crate that had been used to trap Naruto, a large and monstrous shadow, taking the form of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, loomed over everyone. Hinata could barely breath from how thick the killing intent was and she had to mentally coax her body into even drawing a sliver of breath.

It cannot last forever.

She knew that with the way she is now, she'll eventually suffocate. How then, were the others able to at least be able to stay as they are? They could draw breath almost the same while she is forced to work for the small inhaling she is doing now.

'_Naruto-kun… he… he was holding this back…?'_

It was almost impossible to believe that the boy she knew had been keeping such a terrifying entity at bay.

'N-Naruto-kun…'

Hinako bit her lip in mental anxiety as the looming shadow began to settle. The sealed beast from within slowly began to make its way out and Hinako was powerless to do anything about it.

Haaaah…

A cloud of mist escaped from within the crate as an almost unearthly breath was released. As clawed hands grasped the outer edges of the crate, the Hyuugas all around immediately tensed, bracing themselves for what may be the beginning of their doom.

Sudden soft landings behind her signaled that more had arrived. She didn't even need to use her Byakugan to know that those behind her was the Hokage and an ANBU escort. Their chakra alone stood out amongst the others as exceptionally strong. With their support behind her, she slowly made her way closer to the crate and the emerging entity from within.

"…Naruto?"

There was no response. The being inside still continued to slowly inch its way out of the crate and those blood red eyes that now stared at her held no recognition inside them. Undeterred, she tried again.

"Naruto, it's okay now, we're here to bring you back."

Again, there was no reply. She didn't attempt a third time. If he did not hear it after that, then it most assured that he is no longer willing to forgive. And with the Kyuubi's monstrous youki now flooding his system, no one can tell what he will do with his anger.

"…Hokage-sama… what do we do now?"

"…" Hiruzen did not respond. Instead, he slowly brought his hands together, in preparation for a technique. His ANBU follower also followed suit. Hinako's eyes widened in shock. They were going to kill him!

"Wait!" The matriarch moved herself until she was in front of their path. "Don't… don't hurt him. He's suffered enough already."

Hiruzen and Tenzou glanced at one another, hesitant now to make a move. It was the old Hokage who spoke up first. "Be that as it may Hinako, we do not know if the boy is even conscious anymore. For all types and purposes, he can be going to a rampage any second. We need to at least restrain him so that no further harm can be done to the village."

Before Hinako could respond to that, a deep, guttural mutation of Naruto's voice rang out in the silent air.

"Hee…Hee…Hee…"

Everyone returned their attention towards the crate. By now, Naruto had fully pulled himself out and he now stood hunched, with a full shield of blood red youki covering his body. As he trained his eyes on the three before him, Hinako was struck with the eyes of a demon, glowing red like flames and the slitted pupils that dilate into an almost unworldly sense of power.

This was the power of the Kyuubi.

"N-Naruto…?"

"**Oh… I'm quite sorry. But the boy is no longer conscious." **Naruto grinned, baring his lengthened canines as he straightened himself up. **"I'm the one in control now."**

"… Kyuubi… no Kitsune."

**owo**

All around, it was nothing but pandemonium. Everywhere he looked, people were screaming and running away from a general direction, one where he could feel a monstrous chakra building up.

Uchiha Sasuke felt an incredible urge to run away with everyone else. After all, the chakra alone would have sufficed to warn him the person was dangerous and powerful. But also, the enormous killing intent that flooded the village and being potent enough to project a shadow from where he was, it dwarfed Itachi's by a wide margin.

Just being where he was, as waves of sickening red chakra washed over him, Sasuke felt more scared in his life than ever before.

'_This… this is unreal…' _Sasuke backed away from the sight of red chakra in the air. His face began to sweat as his fear grew at the sight of a shadowy monster now taking a distinct shape of a fox. _'The Kyuubi… I have to get away from here… or I'll die!'_

'**That's right.'**

Sasuke's retreat was stopped short the moment he heard that voice. His eyes grew wide with alarm with surprise and hatred. He knew that voice all to well.

"…Itachi…"

'**That's right, run. Run away and hold on to your precious life. Maybe then you can have a chance against me.'**

He knew it was a memory, mocking him for displaying the same fear as then, but it still served to anger him. Sasuke gritted his teeth, as the image of Itachi appeared, armed with his bloody ANBU blade that killed his clansmen and the two blood red Sharingan that stared at him with apathy.

"…" The apparition did not speak but his eyes were mocking him, goading him to run away as he had done so before, clinging on to his life in a shameful way.

Not this time.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in determination. He had ran away before but this time, he'll show him. The brother who never acknowledged his growth had been the one to have drive him back that time. Now, with an entity even greater than him, Sasuke will show him that he won't run away, that had indeed grown since that time.

With his determination renewed, Sasuke swallowed his fear and began running in the opposite direction, to the source of the terrible power.

As he ran, the shapes of the fleeing villagers appeared like blurs, mingling with the screams and cries into a strangely fitting melody. Sasuke felt this song spur his movements, heightening his senses yet dulling them to all useless noise around him. Blood pounded into his body, filling his being with strength as the young Uchiha sped towards the source of the villagers' fear.

When he stopped, he found himself at the place of terror.

Sasuke remembered that just a few days ago, he had bore witness to the village's greatest secret. He had been the intruder that found out Uzumaki Naruto's nature, that he housed the greatest demon the world had ever known. At first, he didn't want to believe it. How could someone like Naruto, who he barely even knew, house the world's deadliest entity? How is it that a person like him would be able to contain such a beast?

Yet now, as he stand before the blond, he found that he could not deny it any further.

Naruto is indeed the container for the Kyuubi.

**owo**

"…Kyuubi… no Kitsune…"

At the sound of those words, 'Naruto' narrowed his eyes and glowered at the Hokage. The chakra around him suddenly shifted from flowing out like great tendrils of fire, to wrapping itself around him until his entire body was encased in a cocoon of chakra.'

"…**You humans lack respect as much as you do intelligence."**

The chakra glowed and before their silent eyes, 'Naruto's' body had completely disappeared into the red energy before them.

"**I have a name as well. Just as how you name your children, I was given my name by the World."**

The chakra soon parted, revealing a completely new figure inside. Everyone felt a sense of surprise and disbelief as the new figure stepped out, bathing the cool air with her ethereal beauty.

"My name is Yoko."

There, standing for all to see, was a beauty unlike what anyone had seen. She was young, her physical appearance making her look no older than fourteen, yet the supple curves, elongated by her kimono, showed her already blooming figure. Her skin was fair, flawless in its appearance, and soft like a newborn's. Her hair was long, reaching all the way down to her small waist, and cascading freely like burning rain. Her face looked as if it had been molded from the finest materials. The cheeks were high yet full enough to give her beauty instead of gauntness, her lips were luscious and ripe, yet not full, and her eyes, the pair of burning red orbs that glowered at everyone around her, only served to enhance her beauty into a otherworldly feel.

"…"

Yoko arched an eyebrow at the sight before her. Everyone was staring at her, not in the previously fearful way, but in a more shocked manner. Strangely enough, some of the Hyuugas on the roof sported some red cheeks. Odd, were they drunk?

"Oi… what's wrong with you all? You're stares are annoying. Out with it!"

At the sound of her harsh tone, Hiruzen snapped from his stupor, and gave a series of coughs to mask his embarrassment.

The majority did not believe him.

"Ah… please forgive me then Yoko-dono. I had not realized that Bijuus all came with a name."

If the old Hokage had been hoping to placate the female before him, he certainly did a bad job of it. If anything, Yoko's annoyance grew and the chakra being emitted began to thrash a little in vexation.

"Do not realize? Do you take me for a fool? Foolish Hokage, if I were in my body, you would have been dead by now."

"…Yoko-san." The red-head diverted her attention from the old Hokage, and trained it on the female next to him. Hinako's eyes were set determinately as she asked her question. "If I may ask, what are you going to do now?"

"Hooo…" Yoko's expression shifted from annoyance to amusement. She gave a quiet chuckle as she brought a hand up to twirl a lock of hair. "What am I going to do now indeed…"

"I can always finish what I started seven years ago. I have the means to now and without the precious time needed, there will be no way to kill me. Should I decide and kill that old man right there, then the last obstacle to my rise will be destroyed."

At those words, the air suddenly grew thick with fear. Hiruzen's own eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

'Impossible… she knows… she knows of that technique!'

"Yes… you _can _do so. But will you?" Hinako stepped forward, holding out her arm to stay the other Hyuugas from leaping downwards. She got close enough to the demon girl that she could reach out and her hand would touch her. "You have not done it now… what's stopping you?"

Silence answered her.

Yoko merely kept a silent façade, though there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. It was as if she knew something that everyone else didn't. What could that be? Why would she not go on a rampage? Granted, it would be difficult as the village was strong but still, it is not outside of her power to blow up a portion of village first.

Then what could be her reason?

Hinako snapped back to attention when Yoko's shoulders began to tremble. Then, soft giggles began to resonate in the silent air, growing in volume until finally, it became full blown laughter.

All the shinobis present tensed, some even reaching and pulling out weapons.

"Fools. I did not come here to kill you. The boy's consciousness will return and with it, my descent into the seal. I appeared before you all to warn you."

Yoko's eyes flashed with power and suddenly, the ground all around them began to crackle with red lightning. The power of it was incredible, strong enough to loosen the concrete floor and lifting it into the air before the pressure crumbled it into dust. All around, everyone could feel the power and malice emanating from the girl and had there been any doubt that she could have indeed massacred them, it was brushed aside.

"I've spent my time within this seal, constantly healing the boy from his injuries suffered in this village and recently, from that foolish snake. I did not do so out of kindness for him but out of necessity. His death will mean my death as well. But let me clue you in to a little secret. A soul, once it has died with the body, will be reincarnated by the World as another living being. Even us demons, incarnations of Nature's wrath, are able to reincarnate. Therefore, I find myself growing tired of this tedious job."

Yoko's face parted to a wicked grin. "So let me give you a warning. I now share Naruto's senses. Whatever he knows, I will know. If I find out that he became injured in any way from this village, then I will rupture this seal myself."

"What? Did you think I couldn't?" The demoness laughed at the stunned silence all around. "Fools! The seal is nothing but traces of Shinigami-sama's powers and human chakra. If I were to rupture it with my youki, then Naruto will die and in tangent, so will I. However, the ensuing destruction caused by the youki's release will be immense. I bet a third of the village will be gone by the time it's all over."

A sudden chill descended all around. One third of the village… that numbers in the tens of thousands…

"Understand? This is my ultimatum. Make sure that the boy is treated well. If not, then this village is gone."

Then, before the stunned crowd, Yoko gave a small curtsey as red chakra swirled all around her. The speed of the spinning energy created a miniature tornado, with wind blowing and the chakra getting sucked in like a vacuum.

Then, it all disappeared.

The red chakra along with the menacing figure that held it seemingly vanished, leaving an upright, yet unconscious Naruto. The blond swayed in his feet, before collapsing.

Two almost identical soft thuds alerted the Hokage. He glanced behind him, and to the far wall on his left. There, Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata laid unconscious as well and he did not blame them. They suffered through only a minor flow of the Kyuubi's killing intent. Yet even this trickle is enough to have the populace run in fear. To be in the presence of it, especially at a young age, it must be the greatest fear they will ever know.

Hiruzen glanced at the unconscious Naruto, now being held by a worried Hinako. Though he did not like to admit it, Kyuubi no Yoko's warning had jarred him. To protect the many, he must sacrifice the few. So, to protect the villagers, he will execute whoever harms Naruto. That is the choice that was forced onto him and though he detests it. He cannot do a thing about it.

"_**If not, then this village is gone."**_

**owo**

**A/N: Well whaddya guys think? Once again, review to give me some of your thoughts on the chapter. I apologize for this chapter's shortness. I'll try to make the next one longer. As some of you guys may already know, I have a ways to go in incorporating group conversations but I'd like to think that I'm making SOME progress. Hehe... well that's it for now and once again, kudos for those who now know what Naruto's doujutsu is. It really isn't that hard to figure out though I'll tweak it a little to fit the universe a bit better.**

**That's it for now people, PEACE!**

**REVIEW!!!!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hahahaha right on schedule! Well here's the next chapter and finally, you guys get to have a little piece of Naruto's doujutsu. Thanks for those who had remained patient and kudos for the guy who first figured it out. You know who you are xD**

**Also for those who had been so impatient and literally emailing me and demanding me for the answers, well you guys can shove it. I take the story at my own pace. **

**Anyways, I won't make this any different from before so on with the story!**

**owo  
**

_Darkness greeted him within that labyrinth of shadows. Everywhere he looked, the murkiness of the place served to give a greater impression of the area's bleakness. _

_He looked everywhere. _

_He saw everything._

_Everything was dark._

_Darkness hinted secrets._

_The secrets were like water._

_He stood in a murky pit of water._

_Then, the darkness gave way. From where he stood, a pair of glowing red flames opened from within the blackness and stared at him. Even from where he was, he could tell that those pair of flames held untold power, malicious and deadly to all who may see it._

_Yet he was not afraid. _

_To him, they seemed strangely familiar, as if belonging to something that had been with him all his life._

_The two flames seemed to realize this as well for the previous malice dwindled as the pair dimmed. Light suddenly appeared, illuminating the dark wet interior. He did not bother to look around. He continued forward._

_From within, he led himself to a pair of great gates, where the massive flames had been before. He slowly pressed his hand through those iron bars, searching for the source that had disappeared._

_His hand met another's. _

_Soft footsteps caught his attention and he looked up. He was greeted by an incredible beauty, one who's sheer perfection seemed to illuminate the darkness within the cage, if only for a moment._

_She smiled at him, one that was not entirely kind yet not completely cruel._

_The hand that touched his closed down until she was grasping him firmly._

_She pulled him closer and he did not resist. He soon found himself pressing against the metal bars, facing her and meeting those crimson red eyes._

_They danced with a strange flame as she knelt down before him and reached out with her other hand. He did not move, mesmerized by the seemingly perfect way her hand closed and stretched, until finally, her finger tapped his forehead in a light poke._

_He immediately felt drowsy._

_Just before he descended into darkness, he felt his cheeks cupped by those long soft fingers. He glanced up with hazy eyes as her face descended and at that moment in darkness, felt her lips against his own._

"Now isn't the time. But soon… soon it will be."

**owo**

It was morning. Everyone in the village slowly began to rouse themselves from their slumber and look to a new day of their lives. Stores were slowly opened, residents began to trickle onto the streets, and the shinobis leaped out of their windows and to their next job assignment.

And in the middle of it, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata made their way towards the Academy.

Yet the events from a few nights before were still fresh in the peoples' thoughts, especially in the minds of those two children. Because of this, there was an uncomfortable silence between the two of them.

For Naruto, it was because of his brief consciousness back then, when he felt all those Hyuugas landing before him. At that time, he felt horrified that they had seen him like that. But that feeling paled in comparison when he saw Hinako in front of him and smelled the faint lavender scent that belonged to Hinata. It had been those two things that drove him into unconsciousness. When he had awoken, he had found himself back in his room. At first, he knew nothing. Then, all the memories had returned and if anything, Naruto felt only humiliation at his lack of control and for possibly hurting the one person who he now saw as a mother. Though she had assured him that no harm had been done, Naruto still saw it as his own failure for her having seen him in that state.

For Hinata, the guilt for her previous actions still hung over her. Her fear over what he may have become had clouded her judgment of who he really was and she felt all the more sorry that she did not realize it until just those few nights ago.

But back then, when she had seen the enormous shadow taking the form of a monstrous fox demon, her fear came back.

Back then, she wanted nothing more than to have ran away and to not look back. The killing intent alone had been suffocating her and the horrifying presence had left her with a chill through her whole body.

When the demon revealed itself to have taken control of Naruto, she felt that her world had shattered and her mind became numb. After, everything became a blur for her, with the whole world seemingly transforming into many streams of red.

Yet one thing stuck to her even when she had closed off the rest of the world.

The Kyuubi had appeared and manifested itself into a human form.

Even within her numbed state, Hinata had been able to tell that the Kyuubi's human form was a beautiful female. Or rather, it was that the female was so beautiful yet still exuded an incredible pressure that she could not help but be burned into the eyes of anyone who saw her, willingly or not.

It is the same with Hinata. She found that her memory of the Kyuubi's manifestation into a human form had been seared into her mind, locked in place by the terror she felt that night. It scared her all the more to learn that Naruto was the only one holding it back.

And that brings her back to her guilt.

'…_Just say something…' _That mantra kept flowing in her mind yet Hinata did not have the courage to do so. She was scared of what Naruto will think of her, scared of the possibility that she lost her chance to apologize for how she acted to him.

And so, the two of them retained their awkward silence, making their way towards the Academy where the presence of more kids can help deaden the feeling.

Yet even the journey there wasn't without tenseness.

From the road that they took to the Academy, neither of the two missed how the populace looked at Naruto. Fear and hatred were the prominent emotions that they could make out. It didn't take much for Naruto to guess what they were feeling. He was just surprised that a mob didn't form with the intention of killing him.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, they were not without escorts. Furious over the treatment that Naruto had went through those nights ago and spurred with the Kyuubi's ultimatum, Sarutobi Hiruzen had stationed ANBU guards to watch over Naruto and insure his safety. But it was not just ANBU. Hyuuga Hiashi, to make a freezing cold message to the populace, also had the Hyuuga branch members along as well. This hidden, but strong presence was what stemmed the crowd. Otherwise, a mob really would have formed long ago.

But that still did not stop the populace from showing their fear in their own way.

"…" He didn't like it. The way the villagers glared at him like a caged rabid beast was uncalled for and he hated it. Naruto retained that apathetic façade but if one were to look at his hands, balled up into fists, they could tell that his self control was being tested.

Apparently, Hinata noticed, though once again, her insecurity kept her from saying anything. She looked back down in shame, berating herself on her weakness, how she can't help him even this much.

But then, something happened.

Naruto… he suddenly stopped. Perplexed, she stopped as well and glanced over at him. The young blond had his eyes covered, and his teeth were gritted. Hinata's eyes widened with worry and she was immediately at his side.

"…N-Naruto-kun…! A-are you okay?"

The young blond glanced at her for a moment, then went back to the villagers staring. "…Yeah… yeah I'm fine. My eyes just started to hurt a little… that's all."

"A-are you sure?"

"Yeah. Hey come on, stop worrying. I'm fine." Naruto gave her a small smile, the first one in what she felt like forever. Hinata blushed and gave him a shy smile in return, her guilt lightening just ever so slightly.

The two continued to the Academy, the rift between them slightly mended, but the rift with the villagers, larger than ever.

**owo**

"Hokage-sama, why have you called this emergency meeting?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, did not bother to respond to such an idiotic question. Rather, he kept himself content in silence. All around, the members of Konoha's council looked around, some with nervousness, and others with expectation. Whatever the reason, they all knew that it had something to do with what had transpired five nights ago.

The Kyuubi made itself known to all.

Everyone in the village had felt the monstrous youki that swept Konoha like a tidal wave. Those that felt it before remembered the terror that it wrought.

For many, it was not a pleasant memory.

Loved ones died holding off the demon. Its killing intent was so powerful that night that fell onto the village harshly. Those that had little preparation for it, mainly the infants and elderly, died immediately from suffocation.

In the end, even their beloved Yondaime made the ultimate sacrifice. A man so promising and hailed as the strongest Hokage ever produced, fell in the final battle against it.

The aftermath had been horrific.

Shinobi casualties alone numbered in the high hundreds. Civilians numbered in the thousands and so many of the newer generation, the infants of many, died that night.

That was why the original festival came into place. It was a time for mourning. Though the children frolic and play, the older generation remembered their lost loved ones.

Husbands and wives.

Mothers and fathers.

Sons and daughters.

At that hallowed day, everyone were to pay their respects for those who fell before the Kyuubi's wrath.

It was ironic then, that on that very day six years later, the Kyuubi returned.

Even now, being five days later, the administration still had not been able to sort out all the letters, many of whom were demanding answers and wanting to know if the Kyuubi truly had returned. Hysteria had already descended into many families and everyone began to fear for their lives once more.

But Hiruzen did not call the meeting for that.

His eyes narrowed and his chakra flared. The effects were instantaneous. Everyone returned their attention towards the venerable old Hokage and they quickly silenced whatever questions or retorts that had been at the tip of their tongue. Sandaime-sama was serious. Something is about to happen.

"Everyone…" Despite his old age, Hiruzen's voice carried out powerfully into the council room, reminding everyone just who was the true leader. "I have called this meeting to make a few announcements. As you all know, five nights ago, on the eve of the Kyuubi's defeat, a terrible wave of chakra descended onto the village. It had been what you all now suspect. On that night, the Kyuubi took control from an unconscious Uzumaki Naruto."

The silence that fell upon the room was heavy. Though they had suspected it, hearing it outright from the Hokage himself served to make it all that that feeling all the more powerful.

"Then… is this meeting held to determine the Kyuubi's fate?"

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed at the council member. "No." He replied. "It is not."

"What!?"

"The fate of the Kyuubi has already been discovered. It had been forced back into Uzumaki Naruto through the eventual powers of the seal and its own choice. Through the brief conversation that it gave us, the Kyuubi revealed that it can rupture the seal any time it wishes. The only downside is that it dies as well. However, the Kyuubi has made it quite clear that the force of the seal's rupture can cause an explosion large enough to destroy a third of the village. As we all know, that numbers into the tens of thousands."

The councilmen knew that all too well. Such a large number of lives… inconceivable. "…T-then what are we to do?"

"…I will be returning the village to martial law."

Shock filled the councilmen. Many quickly began whispering amongst one another, disbelief over the Hokage's decision. Finally, one of them slowly stood up from his seat and held out his hands in a placating manner.

"Hokage-sama? Let's not be so hasty. Why does the village have to return to martial law after so long? Did it not prosper with the addition of us civilians? Surely an event like that shouldn't be enough to warrant this radical change."

"Be silent."

Those cold words cracked into the room like an icy whip. The councilman, so surprised at those words, fell back to his seat, speechless. Hiruzen coldly trained his eyes on everyone in the room, his chakra radiating in such quantities that many hadn't felt in years.

"Akagawa Shin."

The councilman from before snapped from his stupor at the sound of the Hokage's voice.

"If I am not mistaken, the eve of the Kyuubi's defeat was designated as an auspicious day. People are to mourn and remember those that sacrificed themselves to stall and eventually defeat the monster. Yet you, the one in charge of finance, have turned it into a mockery of what it is to be. Festivals appear and people make a ruckus. Because of you, this hallowed day as been transformed into one of humiliation for our village."

"H-Hokage-sama!" By now, the one known as Shin was sweating profusely. "Y-you can't blame it on me! T-the people! They desired to have a way to ease their pain and what better way than to host festivals?"

"Fool." Everyone turned to the third seated member to the right. Nara Shikaku leaned forward from his laidback position and trained a hard stare onto the man. "If I recall correctly, you were no where near here on the days that the Kyuubi rampaged through our village. In fact, I believe you were in Tea country, going on your 'vacation'. A person like yourself, who has not witnessed the monster's path of destruction first hand, has no right to assume what the villagers need."

"As a matter of fact, I think that goes for practically all of the civilian members here." Inuzuka Tsume grinned fiercely from her position. She had never liked how those sleazy politicians conducted themselves in their political affairs. "The only civilian here who suffered through the Kyuubi's assault on our village is Izuna-jiji and it shows in how different he conducts himself compared to you guys!"

Izuna, the old councilman in question, raised a hand in salute, prompting grins to appear on many people… for the shinobi members at least.

"…T-this is insane! Just because of this coincidence, you think that it's our fault the villagers attacked the boy and released the demon?"

"…" Hiruzen silently glanced down at his hands, that had crumpled up a piece of paper into a ball. He slowly picked it up and raised it to eye level. Then, he flicked it towards the offender.

The small paper wad collided onto the man's forehead with the speed of a chakra-charged kunai. Though it was paper, the force was enough to knock the man out of his seat and onto the ground.

"I did not say that the villagers attacked the boy and released the demon. But, that is true. Tell me, why is it that you know when I had made sure the information was kept secret?"

The offender member opened and closed his mouth, speechless.

"…I believe my decision is final." From behind the Hokage, the large shadows began morphing. Soon, a battalion of ANBU made their way out. "Izuna, because of your empathy with the rest of us and your diligence in the council for as long as Nidaime-sama's time, I will allow you to remain in the council. The rest of you civilians, you are to be escorted out by ANBU."

"T-this is insane! Do you know what you're doing Sarutobi!?"

Hiruzen finally gave a sigh, releasing a long cloud of smoke from his pipe. "Of course. I'm acting as the Hokage should. Now get out."

When the doors closed behind the last of the civilians, Hiruzen cupped his chin in his hands, staring at the closed doors in thought. Though the remaining members now had many questions on his recent decisions, they didn't want to question him, not yet.

Finally, he spoke up.

"Danzo." The old war-hawk snapped to attention, if a bit reluctantly. "I want your ROOTs to monitor those civilian councilmen that just left. No doubt, they will be quick to start trouble amongst the masses. If so, I grant you permission to deal with them until they are no threat."

"…" Danzo was silent. Rather, he was stunned into silence. "Sarutobi… I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. ROOTs has been disbanded for quite some time…"

"Do you take me for a fool Danzo?" The old man found himself met with a hard glare from the Hokage, reminding him who is the one in power. "I've known your organization had been active in secret even though I had officially disbanded it. I've only allowed it to continue this way because of the fact that they still worked for the welfare of the village. Now, I am not asking you Danzo, I am ordering you. The ROOTs are to monitor those councilmen closely. If they perform any acts that speak of rebellion, deal with them as the punishment warrants."

Sarutobi then stood up from his seat and before everyone, bowed deeply before them.

"…H-Hokage-sama?"

"Everyone… please forgive me. In my old age and reluctance for this position, I had allowed too many things to have gone overlooked and far too many incidents undealt with. Perhaps in my mind, I had hoped that a younger Hokage, suitable for the position with the newer generation to take over. But I can no longer think that way."

"I've allowed too many things to have gone past and in my weakness, too many people had taken advantage of our shinobi and their devotion." Hiruzen took out his pipe and slammed it onto the table, punching a hole right through two inches of wood. "That ends here."

From his position, Hyuuga Hiashi hid a smile. Though it had not followed through his plan exactly, the results were the same. In his mind, he was silently rejoicing along with all other present. Even the reluctant Danzo felt the respect he had for Hiruzen slowly returning.

The God of Shinobis has returned.

**owo**

Uchiha Sasuke honestly did not know what to think of that Naruto anymore. His first impression of the guy had been of a reserved blond, whose eyes strangely do not seem to match the body. There was just this strange dead look in those eyes that made him think the boy was but a hollow shell.

Then, he had tailed him all the way to Hokage-sama's tower. He overheard the speech between the two and learned of Konoha's dark secret.

Kyuubi no Kitsune, or rather, Kyuubi no Yoko had not died like what they were led to believe. It had been sealed away with the Yondaime's last technique and the container was none other than Naruto himself.

Once again, his preconceptions of the blond had been thrown away. To think that this boy, who he practically knew nothing about, housed the greatest disaster that had ever fallen onto the village. It was like tossing a brick into water, only to see it float back up.

But that was not the end of it.

On the Festival of Kyuubi's Death, he had been walking around the stalls, mostly out of boredom and thought. He had never liked the festivals as childen always ran around with their parents in joy. In the past, it saddened him because both his parents would always be busy. Now, it merely felt like pouring salt on unclosed wounds as he no longer have any parents to call his own.

However, that night changed completely.

Chakra, so dense and terrifying, had swept into the village and all around, people began screaming of the Kyuubi's return. Sasuke himself had been paralyzed with a fear that eclipsed Itachi's genocide of the Uchiha.

He eventually got around it and headed over to where the power was resonating greatest in.

And he saw the Kyuubi's shadow from behind a crate.

The menacing fox, with its nine tails waving like burning flames, seemed to glower at everyone below it with a vicious snarl. Once again, Sasuke found that fear gripped its cold hands into his heart. He couldn't breath, couldn't think, everything in his mind was filled to the brim with the demon's presence.

And once again, the demon changed.

Naruto appeared, his form now distorted with a cloak of flaming red chakra. However, when he spoke, it was with a guttural tone. Then, Naruto disappeared and in his place, came the demon.

And the demon was beautiful.

Nothing caught Sasuke's attention after except for that demon. Her voice was soft and melodic yet the undertone of power held within was terrifying. The chakra seemed to have condensed all around her and if anything, her power made even the genjutsu he suffered in the past seem like a bruised shin.

That was how dangerous he saw her.

And now, strange enough, he can still feel the demon's presence.

Sasuke wasn't the only one. Everyone around Naruto, aside from Hyuuga Hinata, has edged away from him. Even if they can't understand the feeling of a demon's chakra, there is a strangely dangerous presence about Naruto, despite his apathetic expression.

However, that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention. For some reason, Naruto had been rubbing his eyes constantly since he entered the room. Since that time, Sasuke had counted thirty three times that Naruto had stopped and rubbed his eyes. It also seemed that each time, it would last just a little bit longer. The first time, it been a fraction of second, the second time, a single second, now, at the thirty fourth time, it seemed to last for almost a minute.

He wasn't the only observant one.

Hinata had noticed immediately and every time, her worry grew. Though Naruto said it was nothing, his actions belied the pain that he was going through. It only seemed more worrisome for her that for a brief moment, when his eyes were open and he was rubbing, she thought she saw the veins in those eyes visibly through the sclera.

"Ggh…" Naruto gritted his teeth in pain yet once again, bore it as silently as possible. It is bad enough that he made Hinata worry. He didn't want to be seen as a hindrance, not after that event.

But still, what's happening?

His eyes had never hurt this much before. Sure there would be some pain whenever he opened them after a night's rest but the doctors had said that it is to be expected as these eyes weren't his own.

But why now? Not only are his eyes hurting now when he's been awake for a while, but the pain had steadily increased until now, it took all his self control not to scream in pain.

It wasn't just his eyes.

His head pounded painfully in his skull, and for a moment, when he had opened them just a bit, Naruto was almost certain that the whole world had turned red with what looked like roots over everything.

Now, it's even worse.

'I…I can't hold it…'

The pain was now too much. He can't hold it in. Not anymore.

Thud

Hinata's eyes widened in shock as Naruto fell from his seat and onto the steps.

"Naruto-kun!" She was next to him in an instant, worried at what happened. All around, people began to gather, curious as to what happened.

"Everyone move!" The sharp tone of their teacher caused many to jump and the students hastily made room as Iruka made his way over. He knelt down and checked to make sure that Naruto was alive. He placed two fingers onto his neck and felt his pulse.

It was erratic.

Iruka's eyes widened. Naruto's pulse was moving at incredible speed. What's going on?

"Hinata, did anything happen to him before this?" The Hyuuga heiress shook her head. Nothing had happened. At least, nothing that she had been able to see.

"Tch…" Iruka picked up the unconscious blond and nodded to the students. "I'll be taking Uzumaki-san to the hospital. Everyone else, please return to your seats. It'll be a study session until I'm back."

The chuunin disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the class in an unorganized disarray. Hinata stayed where she was, watching the vanishing smoke with worry. Was Naruto going to be alright?

From the center rows, Sasuke watched the scene as well, his thoughts on the blond now once again sent into uncertainty.

**owo**

"Hinako-sama."

The Hyuuga Matriarch looked up from the koi pond, curious. Behind her, a Hyuuga branch member who had been designated for watching over Naruto and Hinata appeared with an air of urgency in him.

"…Yes? What happened?"

The branch member nodded and stood up. "About a few minutes ago, Uzumaki Naruto fell into unconsciousness. We believe that he is now being taken to the hospital by his teacher."

"What?" Hinako's eyes widened in shock. "Why? Why did he fall?"

"…The exact reasons are unknown. However, Uzumaki-san had been rubbing his eyes quite frequently and had appeared to have been masking the pain. We checked with our _Byakugan _and noted that chakra appeared to be focusing in his eyes. Before he fell unconscious, there was an unnatural spike that went to his occipital lobes as well. We can only guess that that is the cause of his sudden unconsciousness."

"…I see… thank you." An unnatural spike of chakra into the occipital lobes can only mean two things.

One: Naruto's chakra circulation has suddenly gone erratic, pumping unnatural amounts of chakra into regions that can only hold so much.

Two: The eyes that have been transplanted are now reacting to Naruto's chakra, meaning…

Hinako's eyes widened in realization. "Quickly! Have you sent word of this to Hiashi-sama?"

"They have." Before the branch member could reply, Hyuuga Hiashi appeared, in his normal stoic expression. Behind him were two other branch members, most likely the messengers. "And it appears you've figured it out as well."

"…Naruto-kun's eyes… they might be awakening the _Byakugan_."

"We can only know if we are to see it ourselves. Let's go."

"Hai."

**owo**

_It's hot. _

_Everything's red._

_My eyes… they're burning…_

"**Open them."**

…_!_

"**Your eyes… open them."**

_Who… who are you?_

"**Shh… It's alright. Open your eyes."**

…_Ahh…_

**"What do you see?"**

_A world… of black roots._

**"Can you touch them?"**

…_Yes…_

"**Show me."**

…_Alright…_

**owo**

…_pant… pant… pant.._

Hinata found that by the time she got to the hospital, she was already out of breath. It didn't matter at all. She needed to know where Naruto was. She had to make sure that he's alright.

"A-ano!" The nurse at the reception looked up, saw Hinata, and looked back down. "You're looking for Uzumaki-san right? He's in room three hundred six."

"E-eh? How… how did you know?"

"Well… a few minutes ago, there were a few Hyuugas that came in, asking for Uzumaki-san's room. I'm assuming that you're with them."

There were other Hyuugas? Did the news of Naruto-kun's faint reach them that fast?

Hinata remembered at the last moment to give the nurse a quick bow in thanks before rushing up the stairs. Right now, she shouldn't be worrying about the other Hyuugas and who told them. Right now, the only thing that matters is Naruto's well being.

When the young heiress finally reached the third floor, she found that there were already two branch members waiting for her. The two bowed and nodded towards the room's direction.

"Hinata-sama. Hiashi-sama and Hinako-sama are waiting for you outside of Uzumaki-san's ward. They are currently engaged with asking the doctor questions regarding what had happened."

Hinata nodded her thanks and continued on.

When she finally reached the end of the room, she found her parents nodding their thanks to a doctor who was walking away. The two turned to meet their young daughter's eyes and Hinako smiled.

"Hinata, you're that worried for Naruto-kun?"

"Eh? I-I'm worried that he might be hurting. T-this morning he had been rubbing his eyes a lot."

"Yes…" Hiashi nodded. "And that can be a sign that his doujutsu has awakened. We're here to make sure that he's alright. Will you come with us?"

"Ah…" Hinata, for some reason, blushed and looked down in embarrassment. However, she managed to give a small nod and that was enough for the two of them. Hinako walked over to her daughter and gently coaxed her into opening the door. When she did, Hinata was the first one to be inside.

And she immediately saw Naruto standing with his back to her.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

Happiness built up inside her as she saw that the young blond was alright. Filled with joy, she quickly ran in to the room, preparing to make sure that he was definitely alright.

But she stopped once she got past the curtains.

Hiashi and Hinako, who were only a step behind her, stopped as well. Their eyes all widened in shock at what laid before them.

In Naruto's hand was a kunai, unbelievably blunt from long use but still solid. However, what surprised them all was that the hospital bed that should have held him, was nothing more than a heap of rubble on the floor.

It didn't even look like someone smashed it. Rather, the pieces all looked as if they had been sliced so perfectly that not even the friction a blade had mattered. Everything on the bed, from the mattress and the sheets, to the bed post and the pillow, everything had been sliced perfectly and now, they all lie in a heap.

"N-Naruto…kun…?"

The blond looked away from the window, and slowly turned his body around to meet them. The sunlight shone on his frame so his features were hard to make out. However, his body now shadowed in by the sunlight only served to heighten the shades of his eyes.

Hinata felt her breath catch itself in her throat.

His eyes were glowing white.

And a pair of black slitted pupils met her gaze.

**owo**

**A/N: Well that's it for now. I might decide to go and upload a omake or two, considerring that it's so close to Christmas now. If not then this is my little christmas present for you guys.**

**A few things to address first.**

**1: Yeah I'm sure you guys read that stuff on how Hokage is acting and were like... "WTF!?" well yea... he must have been a strict leader in his youth, at least that's what I've gathered. I didn't really feel like having him take the conventional route of a grandfather leader guy so yeah... hardliner all the way.**

**2. If you guys were like 'WTF' on how Sandaime was acting, I'm sure you guys were like "WOAH WTF!? *EYES BULGE*" from how Danzo acted. Haha yeah I know they're supposed to be bitter rivals or whatever but I'm sure that in the past, when they were still in war, Danzo had at least respected the Hokage's decision and his strength. I'm sure he can be more respectful for the Hokage if he showed his power more.**

**THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER BEFORE I DESCRIBE NARUTO'S DOUJUTSU IN DETAIL. BEFORE THEN, YOU GUYS THINK WHAT IT MIGHT BE. **

**It shouldn't be that hard. One guy got it from the last chapter with like two hints. I gave you two more here. The 'roots' that he sees and the sliced up bed are all similar from the original doujutsu that is in that anime/game.**

**I look forward to more people figuring it out. Until then, PEACE!**

**REVIEW~!!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Haha one day late... argh dammit. Oh well, I tried. Anyways, many thanks for the reviews. I knew the last hints I gave would prompt a flood of responses and yes everyone, Naruto's doujutsu is definitely Chokushi no Magan!!! Take pride all you guys that knew cause I've been wanting to write this for some time now.**

**Well I don't want to drag this on any longer so everyone, sit back and enjoy this chapter!**

**owo  
**

**Drip, drip, drip.**

From within the darkness, a pair of blood red eyes flared open. Even within this dark, dank area, its senses aren't dulled in the least.

**Drip, drip, drip.**

Someone has entered its domain.

The darkness parted as a mouth broadened to reveal razor sharp teeth. She knew who had entered. After all, they share the same body.

"**I know you're here… Uzumaki Naruto."**

The shadows parted way, revealing a path of murky water from the cage. She looked past the parted path, to the very edge of its vision. There, standing knee-deep into the water, was the boy.

"…**You're quite brave boy. Why don't you come a little closer?"**

And the boy did.

The area echoed with soft splashes as Naruto waded his way through the murky water, making his way closer and closer to the great gates before him.

From where she stood, she knew that she should tread carefully. As the Kyuubi no Yoko, she was the most powerful Bijuu in the world. Yet even her powers were not godly. As a child of Nature and Fury, her powers were tied to that of the World and as such, she was vulnerable to those eyes.

Those glowing white eyes that seem to draw fear even to her.

"…**Boy… do you know who I am?"**

"Of course." Naruto's reply was apathetic. He did not show anger or accusation. He was merely stating a fact. "No one else has a powerful entity inside them like I do. You're definitely Kyuubi no Yoko."

"**Then you know that I am the cause of everything. You know that I am the one who destroyed the village and much of your life."**

"…Yes."

"**Then why do you appear before me?"**

"…" Naruto did not meet her gaze. One would think that the boy simply did not want to meet eyes with an entity whose sheer presence is enough to generate a thick cloud of killing intent. But she knew better. The boy had faced worse. It had deadened his senses after being exposed to it on a daily basis. No… the boy was not scared of her. He was merely contemplating his own answer.

"…I know… that you were the one responsible for how I am now. I know that if you weren't in me, none of this would have happened." Naruto then looked up, his gaze now set determinedly. "But I also know you weren't in me by choice, you didn't do all that by choice, and… you might not have attacked us by choice."

"…" The Kyuubi stared at the boy for a long time. This boy… who suffered so much from her, was not condemning her? How then, can such a childish tone carry the weight of an aged man? Had the boy garnered knowledge and maturity through those years of hardship?

"…**Boy… you're quite interesting." **She moved in her cage until finally, she was at relative eye level with him. **"But I doubt you came here to try and make me feel less guilty. Speak. Why have you come?"**

Naruto did not speak. At least, he didn't do so immediately. He merely trained his eyes all around him, looking at the area that housed the greatest demon in history. It was a dank and murky place, resembling that of a sewer. Overhead, pipes ranged all around, twisting and turning in the ceilings until they lead to other parts unknown. From the bottom, water, so dirty and disgusting, reached up to his knees.

It really was like a sewer.

"**Boy, you are trying my patience."**

At the sound of the demon's voice, the boy snapped away from his gaze and returned to the demon's path.

"…" Naruto's eyes flashed and for a brief moment, killing intent much like that which she felt six years ago flooded her system. She knew this feeling well. It was one of the few moments in her life that she had known fear. Back then… when the Yondaime had summoned the Shinigami, her fear had been like a flavor topping for the god as he devoured the Yondaime's soul and sealed her into the boy.

Yes… the boy, for that one moment, reminded her of the Shinigami.

"I assume you know what these eyes can do." Naruto pointed at them for her to see, not that she needed it. "From what the Hyuugas have told me in the past, the Byakugan allows for near three hundred sixty degrees of vision and the ability to look at people like an x-ray. What I saw was different. I definitely could not see all around me and I doubt people inside looks like black roots. I touch them, slice them, and the thing breaks apart like nothing."

"…What are these things?"

"…" The boy was scared. He had seen what those eyes could do and as with most people, the power scared him. Life and death were literally at the palm of his hands. It's natural that he would be frightened.

"…**Heh…" **The demon's form disappeared from within the gate and with her, all of the youki from before.

Surprised, Naruto ran up to the gate, trying to find the demon. But within the blackness, there was no consciousness, no form of power that hinted of the demon's presence.

"Wha-"

"Oi, where're you looking at?"

The boy turned away from the gate, where the demon once was, and looked behind him.

His eyes landed on a human girl.

Or, what looked to be one.

Though he could not be sure, Naruto was already struck by how beautiful this person was. It seemed that her beauty alone was enough to lighten the dim blackness of the sewer-like domain they were in. Yet at the same time, that beauty seemed to have given her an aura of danger. Something about this girl was dangerous.

"…Who… who are you?"

"Tsk…" The girl made a noise of annoyance at the question and made her way closer. As she did this, the murky waters parted before her, as if the very place they were in did not want to dirty her being. Naruto stood still, unsure of what to do.

Her movements weren't threatening in the least. Yet as she got closer to him, the strange pressure that he felt from before began to grow in strength until finally, it was like someone dropped weights all over his body when she was right next to him.

Of course, now he knew who it was.

"K-Kyuubi…"

"Hmmm… and you didn't even need me to knock it into you. I'm impressed."

"Wha… how did you get out?"

"Hmph. Did you think my consciousness is confined in that damned seal? You foolish boy. I am sealed inside your being but my power in itself is sealed inside your navel. I only choose to stay with my power at times because it's more convenient. But even I can grow bored and uncomfortable in this… _place. _I choose to leave it whenever I want to see other things."

"Now, to explain those two little gems." The Kyuubi leaned down and cupped Naruto's face in her soft hands. She leaned forward, examining those eyes closely.

Apparently, a little too closely.

Naruto's face heated up with a blush at how close she was. His arms began to flail around in childish panic as he sought to free himself from her surprisingly strong grip.

Finally, the Kyuubi released him, and set herself into a comfortable position.

"There's no doubt about it now." Her voice came out quietly, almost as if she herself could not believe it. "Those eyes, they're definitely the same as Shinigami-sama's."

"Wha…?" Naruto managed to regain his bearings long enough to listen to her. But her answer was confusing. What in the world did she mean by the same as Shinigami's?

The Kyuubi locked eyes with the boy and nodded. "Shinigami-sama possesses eyes known as Chokushi no Magan, a very powerful psuedo eye ability granted by the World. He uses it as a mean to deal with beings that try and leave the mortal plains without the World's consent."

"Chokushi no Magan…"

'_Mystic Eyes… of Death Perception?'_

"To better explain, your eyes aren't the entire thing. For a mortal or a living being, the entire part of the technique lies in your eyes and the areas connected with perceiving. It's like an ability that allows you to see past a living being's shell. Everything about it, it's body and tissues, even its nerves and chakra system, are dimmed and your eyes instead focuses on the 'roots' or the Lines of Death. Think of it as an x-ray for you mortals."

Naruto stared at the demonic entity before him, stunned. His eyes… they can do such things?

"So… you're saying that I can basically see death?"

Kyuubi responded with an annoyed sigh.

"Not 'see' death you idiot." She snapped. "Anyone can 'see' death. It's all around. If you happen to see an old man collapsing from a stroke and dying, then that's 'seeing' death. What you can do with those eyes instead is to 'perceive' it, understand death. With those eyes, you can see the Lines of Death on a living being, which are their set times of death. Because now you can perceive it, you may also touch it. To people outside, you're simply tracing a person's body, their outline. But you're actually going past the body and tracing the very lines that can kill them."

"I…I see…" Naruto stared at the murky water. Though they were dark and dirty, they still managed to reflect the glowing whiteness of his eyes. It was strange to see them like this, and to know that they can kill so easily.

"Wait… wait! How the heck did I get these eyes anyways? Wasn't I supposed to get normal Byakugan?"

"Ah… I suppose I'm partly to blame with that." Though she said it, the Kyuubi honestly did not look sorry at all. "Well your body was already rejecting the eyes the moment they were transplanted and I myself had misgivings in you receiving eyes of a useless prey."

"Prey?"

"Tsk… think about it. An eye that allows for long sight and near full circle of vision as well as abilities to see past walls and such. These are traits that a prey, an animal scared of dying and runs away, would possess." The Kyuubi grinned and pointed at herself. "I am a predator boy. I hunt those preys. Do you honestly think that I will stoop so low as to accept a prey's vision? Your body's rejection of those eyes were already bad enough so I decided to warp those eyes for more predatory traits."

"But you were already dying by that time so I had to pump my youki into your cells to keep you from dying. I suppose I eventually went over the limit as the seal began to act. Shinigami-sama's own chakra from the seal began to wrap around your body, sealing my youki back into your navel. However, at the same time, it also reached into where my concentration was highest; the areas involving sight. I can only guess that it mutated the Byakugan even further until it is what it is now."

The Kyuubi walked up to Naruto and placed a hand onto his cheek, causing the boy's face to redden once more.

"And I must say, I'm impressed with the results."

"Wait then how the heck do I turn off these things?" Naruto pointed at his eyes in aggravation. "It's pretty freaky when everyone has those lines around them. It's like I'm looking through broken glass or something."

"Isn't that obvious? Simply stop the flow of chakra to your eyes and the doujutsu will disappear."

"Wait but then-"

"Isn't it about time you get out? It gets rather boring when I have to explain everything." The Kyuubi grinned and placed a finger on his forehead, nudging him a bit in the process. "It's more fun when you get to learn as you go. Until then, have fun."

Naruto's eyes widened but before he could do anything, his form dissolved into the darkness, returning to the outside world.

From within, the Kyuubi watched the last traces of him disappear and sighed. It was rather… cute… how the boy turned red from her touch. It was also amusing how easily flustered he was.

"Fufufufu… well… he still has a way to go. I'll make the contract when he graduates."

**owo**

Naruto's eyes snapped open in surprise and he immediately sat up from where he was lying. He quickly looked around, seeing the bare white walls all around him along with the crisp cool air of a morning.

This wasn't the sewers.

This was his room.

"…" He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that he was completely happy to be back. He still had questions for the demon and since she had been unusually forthcoming in answering them, coming back only made his hunger for the knowledge all the more present.

"…Damn… I should have asked her sooner if I had known she would have done tha-!"

"Ouch!" His eyes suddenly began throbbing rather painfully. Naruto clenched them shut and rubbed them with his hands in an attempt to help dull the pain.

It didn't work.

Despite the pain, Naruto slowly opened his eyes, squinting through the whiteness of his room as he tried to fight the pain.

And for a moment, seeing the world etched in black lines helped take his mind off of it.

But still, the pain persisted. So, Naruto immediately clenched his eyes shut once more and quickly began doing what the Kyuubi had instructed him from before.

He felt deep inside his own being, feeling the pulsing of chakra that was erratically heading towards his eyes. Naruto took a deep breath after releasing it in a steady stream, managed to calm down the erratic flow. With it, the pain that had persisted dulled to the point of a very minor presence and when Naruto opened his eyes once more, the world was back as it should be.

'_It worked.' _Even he couldn't stop the smile that appeared in his face. _'It really worked! I… everything's normal!'_

Filled with a sense of happiness, Naruto hopped into a crouching position on his futon, preparing himself to spring up in jubilation. However, the moment he crouched, a soft moan flowed out melodically in the silent room, prompting Naruto to quickly look behind him.

There, sleeping in a strange sitting position and wrapped up in blankets, was Hinata. The young girl was sleeping relatively peacefully and the only signs of her discomfort came with how her head and neck were at such an unusual angle, tilted to one side like that.

'…_I didn't even notice her.'_

His former feeling of joy died down as a strange feeling, one that he could not identify, began to rise.

Though he knew not the reason, Hinata had saw fit to stay by him when he had fallen unconscious. Judging by her sleeping, she had been with him ever since he had been taken to his room and collapsing from exhaustion.

This strange and unidentifiable feeling felt warm to him. It was like a strange tenderness had fallen into his heart at the knowledge and at her sleeping figure, with the sunlight shining gently on her dark locks.

Though Naruto didn't know what that feeling was, he felt that seeing Hinata like that and knowing that she had been with him since he had fallen, made him want to protect her, to be able to stay with her.

Naruto gave the sleeping Hinata a smile, a rare warm smile that few had the honor of ever seeing. For some reason, he felt that he wanted to smile like that more often now, whenever this feeling would occur again.

However, right now, he just wanted to stay in this contentment.

And then, he got an idea.

Naruto reached out to the slumbering heiress and being careful so as to not wake her, took her to his futon.

When Naruto managed to move his hands into position and lift up the Hyuuga heiress, he was surprised that someone who was almost the same height as him didn't weight anymore than he thought. Hinata was definitely lighter than what he had expected, not that helped much in the matters.

If Naruto would admit this to anyone, it would only to be himself but he knew that physically, he was pretty weak.

He would struggle with carrying two buckets full of water in each hand when others would do it as if nothing. Even now, with Hinata as light as she was, he felt the need to quickly lower her or else he'd feel the pain in his arms already.

So, Naruto quickly laid the heiress down into his futon. He took pride in despite the speed, he did it with enough care so as to not awaken her. Naruto slowly laid the covers over Hinata and stepped back a bit to admire his 'work'.

"There." He whispered proudly. "Now she won't have to bend her neck like before."

With his little job done, Naruto turned and was about to leave the room when two things suddenly registered into his mind.

One, the electric clock said it was only seven in the morning and there was no school today.

Two, it was really freaking cold, especially the wood floor panels.

"…" Naruto turned his gaze back to the futon, now being occupied by Hinata. While he was glad that she had stayed with him since the beginning and that now she is no longer in that uncomfortable position, he found that now _he _doesn't have a place to sleep.

Unless…

"Eh… more heat that way anyways… I think."

And so, when Hinako walked in to wake them up a few minutes later, she found an incredibly cuddly sight of Naruto and Hinata, cuddled up together from inside the blond's futon. Though she didn't want them to wake up late and not have any breakfast, the sight was just too adorable to resist.

"Well… fine I'll let them sleep in today." Hinako relented quietly. She silently slid the door shut and walked out as quietly as possible.

"But… I think this moment should be captured. I'll get the camera."

**owo**

The meeting room carried a strange hint of anticipation as everyone inside waited for the arrival of their Hokage. Ever since the news of martial law being implemented into Konoha, Hiruzen had take a strange grip onto the village, increasing securities all around and judging misconducts far more harshly than usual.

For those that remember Hiruzen's reign in the past, they felt that the Hokage from back then had slowly returned. Evidence of this had been the aura of chakra that he was expressing in the few public speeches since then. They hadn't felt chakra in volumes from him since the time of the war with Iwa.

Many felt that the village was going to return to it's rightful position as a military organization, not a village of hapless fools.

And it is with this expectation that those within the meeting room now held as they awaited the Hokage's presence.

They didn't have to wait long.

The doors parted open and Sarutobi Hiruzen, flanked by the two advisors, made his way into the room. Everyone stood up and bowed as a sign of respect as the Hokage took his seat in the meeting hall.

"Everyone." He began. "I thank you for coming to this meeting. We are here now to discuss the future of our village's situation."

He nodded to his right and Homura, who nodded as well and stood up.

"As you all know, Sandaime-sama had decreed that the village be placed under martial law. The true reason behind it at the time had been to merely stop the corruption that the ignorant and power hungry politicians of the civilian population had fallen under. However, recent information that we have been able to receive from Jiraiya-sama and his spy network has made the decision of martial law possibly a better choice than previously thought."

Next, Koharu stood up as well.

"From Jiraiya-sama's spy network, we learned that in Rice country, a new shinobi organization calling itself Oto-nin have appeared. They claim to have a village known as Otogakure but from what the information have given us, the Oto-nin are nothing more than a ragtag group of missing-nin who banded together."

"But that is not where the true problem resides. According to Jiraiya-sama's surveillance of this new organization, the Oto-nin have been growing in numbers far faster than the expected rate. The activities, that were normally only in the outskirts of Rice country, suddenly exploded all over the country."

"Again, there were no villages comprising of shinobis in Rice country but the several of the ANBU tracking divisions had suddenly been killed in certain places that before, were nothing but abandoned buildings."

"And that leads us to our predicament." Homura pointed at a map of Rice country. "These red circles indicate the areas where the ANBU trackers had been before they died. Either way, those areas hold the key to this new organization's secrets."

"And they might not be so secretive at all." Koharu reached out and pulled up an ANBU cloak, one stained with blood and some type of liquid. "We managed to retrieve one of the tracker's cloak and analyzed it. Aside from the blood, the one other thing that stained onto it is snake venom. As we all know, Rice country does not support any known species of snakes whatsoever. This leads us to suspect that the Oto-nin are but a cover up and the real power is none other than the traitor Orochimaru."

A chill descended into the room.

Orochimaru, one of the greatest traitors in Konoha's history. Before, he had been a rising candidate for the position of Yondaime but that was before Sandaime-sama had discovered that he had been behind the mysterious disappearances of villagers. Orochimaru had abducted them and used them for human experiments.

Since then, he had been a wanted criminal of the highest class yet everyone knew that unless a full division of ANBU, the other Sannin, or Hokage-sama himself caught him, the chances of killing him would be slim to none.

And now, he's forming a shinobi organization of his own?

This could only mean one thing.

"Everyone here must have figured by now." Hiruzen's eyes hardened as he too stood up from his seat. "This is Orochimaru's declaration of war."

"We do not know when he will actually strike but at the rate of his organization's growth in numbers, I daresay that unless we do something about it, a clash with them could significantly decrease our numbers, assuming that the shinobis under Orochimaru are all at least chuunin level."

"That being said, we cannot just go and declare war on this Otogakure as that would prompt a war with Rice country. Something as unprovoked as a war with a country will be viewed negatively by the others and a prolong war will only make us weaker for our enemies to take control."

"Danzo." Everyone looked from the Hokage and to darkened side of the room, where the previous leader of ANBU had been sitting quietly. "What do you propose we do in this situation?"

"Hoooo…" Danzo smiled at the question. "So now Hokage-sama is willing to ask questions of a disgraced old man? Hmph, very well."

The old man stood up and walked over towards the Hokage's side. Many of the shinobis tensed just in case Hokage-sama would be endangered. However, Danzo merely passed Sarutobi and pointed his cane at the red circles in Rice country.

"If it is indeed Orochimaru, these bases are most likely only a few out of a dozen more. Though we do not know the exact importance of it, the information alone that one of those bases possess snake venom can only mean that one of them is Orochimaru's main base. I propose that we keep that information at hand but not to start anything with it. We should have Yamanaka Inoichi and perhaps his old team head to the area in which this tracker died. Once there, have Yamanaka possess an animal and use its senses to detect any traces of an underground lair. Whatever the outcome, we will keep the information to ourselves."

It was a sound judgment, one expected from a previous ANBU commander, no matter how many years retired.

"Very well." Hiruzen nodded. "We shall go with this plan. Have Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Chouza meet with me later for a mission debriefing. Now… does anyone have ideas for our own village? The growing activities in Rice country is a direct correlation with their growing numbers. What do you people suggest?"

"Sir." A jounin stood up from his seat and at the Hokage's nod, proposed his plan. "As with all previous war times, we had always changed the curriculum in the Academy to a more battle orientated style. We had also always lowered the standard graduation to the age of ten to help bolster our numbers. Why not do that now?"

His plan was met with an uncomfortable silence. If he had proposed that plan around two years ago, most likely everyone would have followed. But now that Uchiha Itachi, a genius shinobi who graduated at eight, massacred his entire clan, the thoughts of lowering the graduation date again is not so favorably viewed. People are scared of the possibility of another massacred from genius shinobis.

"…Do it." But Hiruzen's prompt response gave a message that there is to be no arguments. Everyone knew that the Hokage's decree in martial law is as good as final.

The Academy will be switched to a battle style curriculum and the graduation age will be ten years old.

As everyone left to fulfill their orders, Hiruzen leaned back into his seat and the power that had been there before withered away, revealing an old man still wracked with guilt.

Homura and Koharu, the only two witnesses to Hiruzen's fatigued state, merely sat there as old teammates should.

"Hiruzen." Koharu murmured quietly. "I hope you know what you are doing."

The Hokage hoped the same. He hoped he would not be destroying the new generation with his decision.

**owo**

**A/N: Whew, there goes another chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it cause some parts were a pain to write. Everyone go on and leave some reviews, tell me what you think of this chapter and all that. Next chapter will mark the end of their... er... 'kid' arc? Well after the next chapter, I'll take it to their genin stage so yea... you guys won't have to wait forever again :P**

**Till next time people!**

**-Phoenix**

**REVIEW!!!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: And here's an early update for all you guys out there! I actually managed to finish this about a day early but I was too tired to post it. It might also not be on par with my other chapters because I was so tired when I was typing this out. Well, as promised, this will be the final chapter in the children arc and starting next one, they'll all be genins. There's definitely some characters that I'll be introducing back into the story like our favorite mist missing-nin duo but how I'll be introducing them will be a bit more different. I'll let you guys think on it as I take a breather.**

**Well I won't take your times any further so here's the new chapter!**

**owo  
**

War,

Though there were no outright declaration of it, the sudden shift in the air and the changes in the shinobi Academy's curriculum pretty much hinted it. Something was going to happen and Konoha was preparing itself for a war.

And if anything, it scared Hinako the most.

She had already lived through one war. In the past, in the Third Shinobi War, she had firsthand seen what the toll on lives would be and she had seen the mental scars that the survivors would have. Her husband, Hyuuga Hiashi, bore traces of those scars himself. Those that came back from those battles would always be changed, and a hole in their heart would always be there, mending in time but never completely covered.

And now, her fear is for the next generation.

Naruto and Hinata, two children that she loved will be sucked in to this upcoming battle.

She knew that she could not do anything more than what she was already doing now to prepare them for the upcoming battles. No matter how well a person is prepped through books and lectures, nothing can truly prepare them for that one instant when blood seeps through wounds, splattering onto their clothes as the enemy lay dying.

Nothing can prepare them for that.

And so, the only thing she could do now is to pray for their safety and make sure they are trained as well as possible.

Part of that reason is why she is now making her way up the steps to the great Fire Temple, a literal fortress in the shinobi world and also one of the most sacred areas in Fire Country.

The gates were already open and from inside, monks bowed before her.

It was strange to be bowed to by these monks, gifted shinobi in their own rights. But she accepted their hospitality.

She was then led to a shrine, where a large gold statue of Buddha sat, flanked by tengu statues.

Hinako kneeled in front of the large statue and bowed her head in a prayer. She sent her mental pleas into the shrine, hoping that both Naruto and her daughter, along with her husband and all those that she love, to come out alive in this battle's end. She prayed that by the time this is all over, no one she cared for will have to be sealed away in a wooden casket.

The candles that laid in front of the statues flickered and for a breath moment, it was almost as if the flames grew. Hinako gave out a small smile. Though she wasn't sure, if it was a sign that her pleas were heard, then she was grateful to the deities.

"Hyuuga-sama, I trust you did not come here simply to pray?"

Hinako's smile widened at the sound of that voice. It had been a year already since she's heard from him but of course, his skills were still legendary. The Hyuuga matriarch stood up from her kneeling position and turned to bow before the monk that stood at the doorway.

"Chiriku-sama, it's been a long time."

"Yes I suppose it has." The monk known as Chiriku clasped his hands together and bowed as well. "I trust you are in good health?"

"As good health as any worried mother can have." Hinako nodded towards the great statue behind her. "Part of that worry is why I came here to pray. I wish for my daughter to make it out of these coming events."

"…" Chiriku remained silent though she knew he was already thinking. The only times she had ever ventured into this temple had been to pray for peace. The one other time she did had been when Konoha had sacrificed Hyuuga Hizashi to Kumo.

So what was the reason now?

"Chiriku-sama, I'll be honest with you. Praying for my loved ones' health was not the only reason why I came to the Fire Temple. The other reason was to ask you for a favor."

"Me?"

"Yes… I'm sure that in your time as one of the Shugonin Junishi, you had been diligent in your duties in protecting the Fire Lord. You protected him from quite a few assassination attempts and in the end, you saved him and Konoha from the coup de'tat." Hinako sighed and shook her head sadly. "But that was but a skirmish compared to what is to come."

"…War."

"Yes. I do not know everything to this but the very air in Konoha has changed. Hokage-sama has reverted our Academy curriculum back into its wartime teachings and recently, he had placed the entire village into martial law. I can only imagine what forces are at work to prompt out village's entire readiness back into war but it is most likely powerful. At worst, it can be two or more shinobi villages against us."

"I see…" Chiriku closed his eyes in thought. After a few moments of silence, he opened them again. "But what reason do I have to go to Konoha? My duty, first and foremost, is to defend this temple. If war is definitely coming, then it is imperative that I stay and help prepare the temple for a potential battle."

"True." Hinako countered. "But recently, you were once a part of the Shugonin Junishi. Does that not mean that your loyalty still lies in Fire country and its lord? Know that if war is to come to Konoha, Fire country will be dragged in whether it likes it or not. The only sure way to halt this is to train the people until they are strong enough completely dominate the war."

"…"

"At the very least, help a young boy who suffered enough without having to go through this war unprepared as well."

The monk's head snapped up in surprise, his eyes widened. Hinako gave him a sad smile and nodded, confirming his suspicion. Uzumaki Naruto, the jailor for the Kyuubi no Yoko.

"…Very well." Chiriku gave a soft sigh as a sign of defeat. "If helping the new generation will mean preparing them for what is to come, then I will go and be as much aid as I possibly can."

The matriarch bowed low in response to his consent.

"Thank you." She murmured. "Thank you."

"…" Chiriku nodded and walked out, preparing to get his belongings ready for what may be a long trip.

'…_I wonder how Asuma is doing?'_

**owo**

"Everyone, as of today, the Academy is turning over to more combat orientated teachings and less of theory."

The general reaction to the class was expected for Iruka. Nearly all the boys (and some girls) cheered at leaving the 'boring' lectures behind while nearly all the girls bemoaned now having to actually work and dirty themselves. The chuunin teacher sighed and shook his head. Honestly, kids like them cheer at lessons like this. If only the knew what these lessons were actually preparing them for.

Iruka winced and shook his head.

No, now wouldn't be the time to think about it. He had a job to prepare these students for what the Hokage suspects to be an upcoming war. He can't afford to have his mind wander off.

"Alright everyone quiet down! Now everyone come over here for your next lesson."

Now that most of the class became thoroughly interested in this new lesson, the class quickly made their way out of their seats and to the front to catch a better view of what Iruka might do.

The only exceptions were:

Nara Shikamaru, because he's his usual lazy self.

Akimichi Chouji, because he likes to stay with his friend.

Uzumaki Naruto, because for the most part, he could see from where he was.

Hyuuga Hinata, because she was nervous around all those people and if she wanted to see, she could always use her Byakugan.

Uchiha Sasuke, because rushing to the group like that is demeaning and he's too prideful of that.

"Now, you all have learned to focus chakra into one point from before with the leaf head demonstration. Now, we are going to apply that concept into more practical means." Iruka then formed a ram seal. "By concentrating chakra into the your feet and using it to create a sticky coating, a shinobi can effectively walk on walls and ceilings."

Then, before the startled class, he did just that. Iruka placed one foot onto the wall, then another, then another until he was walking up the wall and hanging down from the ceiling.

Almost immediately, the class 'wowed' at his amazing feat and some were already eager to put this to work. Iruka released his breath in a soft sigh and with it, the chakra on his feet disappeared. He fell from the ceiling and landed gently onto the ground below.

"Now, applying this concept isn't as easy as it sounds. The feet are the hardest places to concentrate chakra in. So, it'll probably take a while for people to get it but once you've gotten it, learning other techniques will come by faster. Now, we can't have all of you running up the walls here so everyone please go outside and choose a tree. You'll be running up those instead." He then pointed at a box near the door. "As you leave, please take a kunai with you. It is to mark your position. As you run up the tree and feel yourself about to fall, slash the area that you were at and use it as a goal to past."

Nearly two minutes into the exercise had produced some interesting results.

As Iruka expected, most of the girls, with a lower chakra capacity and better control, reached the top much faster though surprisingly, when he had berated Shikamaru to actually try, the boy did so at the first time, shocking everyone.

And again as expected, practically all the guys besides Shikamaru were taking a much longer time to reach the top. By looking at the slash marks on the trees, he could tell who was progressing better than the others.

Some of the boys had enormous gaps between their slashes, marking extremely well made progress in their exercise. It surprised him that some of them even made it that well.

The other boys had much smaller gaps, with slashes not but a few inches from each other. Though it was a much slower progress, they were still moving up the mountain.

After the first group of students completed their way all to top, he instructed them to now simply run up and down the trees. Of course, many complained at the monotony of it but when they began tiring out quickly, he explained to them as they rested.

"The point of running up and down a tree is to increase your chakra reserves. I won't lie to you now, the reason you kids made it up first is because your chakra reserves are much lower than those that are still trying right now. It is usually because of such low reserves that people instinctively develop a good way to control it."

That certainly busted many of their bubbles.

Iruka grinned as the group groaned and returned to running up and down the tree. He watched them for a bit before returning his gaze towards the other students.

One such reason why it would have been a better idea to teach students chakra control early on is simply because as students, their charkas are much lower than a normal genin's. Because of that, their control over it is usually much better.

And the reason why it would take a normal genin probably a few days or even a week to learn it is because by then, they'd still have an peacetime academy knowledge on chakra control but a reserve that is usually twice as large as the students now.

And right now, Iruka can say he's impressed with their results.

Even the slower ones were reaching the top now and those before them began to do the exercise like the other kids. In fact, by the time he even got to the other side of the training area, only two boys were still running up and trying to reach the top.

Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

He can't say that he's surprised either. Uchiha Sasuke is from the Uchiha clan, where they already had unusually larger reserves than other shinobis, most likely because they need the larger ones to maintain their bloodline.

Uzumaki Naruto's predicament shouldn't be that difficult either. Having a demon sealed inside might always do something to his control and if anything, having a demon's chakra inside, which is toxic, can cause his own coils to thicken and with it, a much larger reserve.

Nevertheless, both glanced at each other, noting that they were the last ones, and immediately began picking up the pace.

Iruka grinned to himself. Though they were training to be shinobi, they were still children.

And above all else, children hate to be left behind.

**owo**

"Man… that was weird. Yesterday we were learning about Nidaime-sama and his exploits and today we suddenly shift to chakra control. Is it just me or are the teachings a little screwed up?"

The two of them were now out of class and making their way to Konoha's hospital, passing through many vendors and allowing the air's cool breeze wash over them in a moment of contentment.

Hinata gave a small giggle at Naruto, who looked like he was pouting. She couldn't help it, he just looked so cute when he puffed his cheeks like that.

"Well… it was kind of fun wasn't it?"

"Hmph yeah… I guess it was a little fun."

Naruto shook his head and opened the door for the two of them. When they got in, they immediately walked up to the receptionist, who looked up and nodded to the stairs. They made their way up the stairs, to the second floor, and stopped at the door right next to it.

They both peered inside, to see if anyone was there, before slowly opening the door and walking in.

Inside the room, a single person laid on the bed, stuck within a coma and placed onto life supporting machinery and seals.

The sight was saddening for both the two children for different reasons.

For Hinata, she had remembered this person's cheerfulness and willingness to help. For the most part, her demeanor reminded Hinata of Naruto… or at least, the mask that he once wore.

For Naruto himself, she was someone who knew the extent of the pain that he suffered as she had been there when the snake had performed his experiments. She was also one of the few people from before who never looked at him with eyes that screamed for blood.

"Ne… do you think Ume-neesan is going to wake up?"

Naruto shook his head helplessly.

"I don't know." He replied. "It's already been two months. I hope she does though. It'd make everyone feel better to have her around."

"Yeah…"

Naruto walked up to the bedside and slowly took out the flowers from the nearby vase. He then proceeded to dump it into the trash bin as Hinata produced a new batch and placed it in. After they were finished, the two of them watched the peaceful looking Ume sleep in her coma state before leaving.

"Wait."

Hinata stopped at the doorway and looked back in confusion. Naruto merely gave her a small smile as he stood in front of a Buddha statue before clasping his hands together in a small prayer.

When he was done, Naruto nodded to Hinata, the two of them now preparing to leave the room.

"Sleep well Ume-neesan." Hinata murmured. "I hope that at least you're dreaming nice dreams."

**owo**

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, we're home." Hinata called out softly as she and Naruto took off their scandals. As Naruto placed them evenly to the side, he noted that there was also a strange pair of straw like scandals as well.

Odd, did they have a visitor?

"Mmmm… Hinata, do you know anyone who wears straw scandals?"

"Eh?" The young heiress glanced to where Naruto was pointing and after a brief moment to think about it, shook her head. "Not that I know of. Whoever this person is, they must be from out of the village."

"Hmmm…" However, before Naruto could ask a little more, Hinako walked out of the living room and beckoned them over with a smile. Now confused, both Naruto and Hinata glanced at each other before making their way in.

When the door slid open to allow them entry, they immediately noticed the person sitting politely next to Hiashi. This man, a monk by the looks of it, raised his head once to meet their gaze before bowing it as a sign of respect. Seeing this, Hinata quickly bowed before the stranger and Naruto, after a brief moment of hesitation, did the same.

"Naruto, Hinata, I would like to introduce to you a very well known person within Fire country." The monk stood up, clasped his hands together, and bowed.

"My name is Chiriku, a monk of the Fire Temple." He introduced himself. "Because of recent developments that have come to my attention, I have decided to stay here in Konoha for an undetermined amount of time. Hinata-san, Naruto-san, it's a pleasure to meet the two of you."

Naruto stood in shock. He wasn't the only one. Beside him, Hinata's eyes widened in absolute bewilderment. Within Konoha, names of Fire Country's greatest protectors had been well knowned. This man, Chiriku, was a member of the Shugonin Junishi, the Fire Lord's elite guards!

What would a man like him being doing here in Konoha?

Seeing their shocked and confused expressions, Hiashi cleared his throat before explaining.

"Chiriku-sama came here at our behest. Because Konoha has entered a state of caution regarding a possibility of war, I have decided to increase training for Hinata in the Jyuuken style and in tapping the full strength of her Byakugan. Unfortunately, because Naruto himself does not possess our doujutsu, the Jyuuken form of fighting is useless to him. That is one of the reasons why I have asked Chiriku-sama to come."

"As you already know, Chiriku-sama was a member of Fire country's Shugonin Junishi." Hinako added. "And within its group, he was the best in forms of taijutsu. Therefore, we had asked him to help teach Naruto-kun his form of combat. I'm sure that with given time, he can teach you well to fend for yourself."

To be trained by one of the Twelve Guardians… Naruto could scarcely believe it. Granted, he was a bit disappointed in not being able to learn the Jyuuken style of fighting but still… to be allowed a chance to learn from a member of such a well known group was a great honor in itself.

"Well Naruto-san." Chiriku stood up and a smile appeared in his stoic expression. "If you accept, then it would be my pleasure to help train the new generation."

Speechless, Naruto slowly turned his gaze over towards Hinata. Though it was definitely a great honor to be trained by him, a part of him was guilty that Hinata herself wasn't going to partake in it as well.

But to his surprise, she merely smiled encouragingly at him.

"…Hinata?"

"No… it's alright. Okaa-san and otou-san are going to teach me Jyuuken so it'll be okay."

"…You sure?"

Hinata nodded, though it only made him feel better by a little bit. Still, he wasn't going to pass this chance. Naruto turned to Chiriku and nodded.

"Er… just to be curious, does the taijutsu form have a style?" Naruto scratched his head a little in embarrassment. "Well… because I've heard of Konoha's standard style called 'Goken' and the Hyuugas practice 'Jyuuken' so…"

"Yes the style does indeed have a name." Chiriku gave Naruto a smile as he responded. "It is known as 'Kikokuken', a rare style to have nowadays because of its difficulty in mastering. Many people take decades to learn and even I took a total of twelve before I was fully able to complete my training."

"That being said, we'll start your training tomorrow. For now, rest." Chiriku bowed before the Hyuugas before turning to the door. "Now… please excuse me but I must inform Hokage-dono of my arrival."

"Of course." Hiashi replied.

As Chiriku left, Naruto stared at the closed door in wonder. This style of fighting supposedly takes decades to learn… then why is he learning it now? Didn't they say that he was going to learn how to defend himself now? How would learning a style that takes years to learn be 'defending himself' now?

"Naruto-kun?" The blond glanced back to see Hinata tilting her head in curiosity. He merely shook his head and began to walk out the door as well.

"Er… I just feel like thinking for a bit. It's… you know… kind of surprising that Chiriku-sama came just to teach me, even if he was asked by the Hyuuga clan."

Hinako nodded. "I understand. Please come back soon. Even if it's Konoha, being out at night can still have its risks."

Naruto nodded his thanks as he made his way out. The door slid shut behind him, leaving behind three Hyuugas who stared at where he had been with a degree of worry in them.

'_If only Chiriku-sama was here only for training.' _Hiashi thought grimly. _'Then that would still speak of relatively peaceful times. But he's here to make sure that a seal of great strength is performed in order to protect Konoha and much of Fire Country._

_Such a seal will take years to finish._

_I can only hope we have that much time to prepare it.'_

**owo**

By the time Naruto had made it to the shores of Konoha's main river, the sun had already began to set, illuminating the sky in a strange reddish orange hue.

He turned his gaze downwards, towards the river that reflected the sky, feeling a sense of impatience taking over him.

Why in the world is he learning this?

Granted, it's an honor to be trained by a renowned guardian but still, a fighting style that takes possibly decades to learn is not something that he wants to know at all. If he had started training back then, back when he didn't have Hyuuga protection, he'd still be useless and nothing would have changed at all!

He wanted to protect himself but above all, he wanted to protect those that he came to care about. More than anything, he wanted to ensure that something like Hinata's loneliness or Hikari-neesan's death would never be repeated again.

But how is he to do that if he didn't have power now?

"…Kuso…" Right then, he felt nothing but uselessness and impatience. He hated those feelings, especially when someone like Chiriku-sama decided to teach him taijutsu but how… how was he to be stronger if he was going to waste years just to learn taijutsu?

Naruto glanced back up at the sky again, silently hoping that an answer would suddenly pop up.

Of course, nothing like that would happen but still hoped anyways.

Images of Hinata returned, of the one time he had seen her looked so downcast with loneliness that even now, it still gripped him.

Other images of Hikari-neesan appeared as well, with the one time he had met her when she had grinned and offered him a dango… and then, the other time he saw her, dead and her eyes gouged out.

He was the one to receive her eyes, even if they've mutated so much that they can't be considered 'hers' anymore.

He hated it back then and he still hated it now. He wouldn't be so heroic to say that no one should have suffered because of him because truthfully, he had wished some would suffer but above all, he had wished those that treated him nicely, those few _precious people,_ would have never been hurt.

But some were and in the case of Hikari-neesan, one died.

If he is to protect those that remain, then he needs power, now.

Suddenly feeling selfish, Naruto looked away from the sky, silently ashamed of his greediness. Of course he wanted power but even he knew that he was being urgent about it. It wasn't right. The desperation that he felt definitely did not feel right. He was thinking too rashly.

He needed to calm down.

'_Calm down… if Chiriku-sama is going to teach me a technique that took him twelve years…_

_Then…_

_Then I'll just have to surpass him!'_

Naruto grinned, feeling a spark of determination ignite within him. It was a stretch, outclassing someone like Chiriku-sama but if there would even be a single percentage chance of him doing so, then he'll take it and work it to the best of his abilities.

A sudden sight caught his attention.

Sitting there at one of the docks was kid, probably around the same age as him. Naruto squinted as he walked closer and closer, making out black shorts and a shirt, reminding him of someone that just came from a funeral.

But that black hair that flared and spiked at the end bore a distinctive style that he recognized right away.

The kid was Uchiha Sasuke.

"…" He was staring at the river, apparently lost in thought. Now if there was one thing that he and Sasuke shared, it was that they were orphans. But now, he began to see the Hyuugas as his family while Sasuke's was apparently slaughtered by his brother.

He didn't really know. He wasn't in the village when it happened.

Suddenly, the Uchiha looked up from the river and their eyes met.

"…" Neither of them really said anything but there was a brief moment of communication between them. Naruto was the first to look away as he continued his aimless walking around the village. It wasn't like he had anything to do but he'd rather walk around than stay on that spot competing in some staring contest with the Uchiha.

"…Wait!"

But apparently, the Uchiha still wanted to say something. Naruto halted in his tracks as Sasuke made his way up the grassy hill. When they were face to face again, Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"Er… yeah?"

Sasuke looked away, either from embarrassment or shame or whatever he didn't know. "…I'm Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke." He held out his hand, still looking away.

"…" Feeling a little weird, Naruto took the hand and gave it a shook. "Uzumaki Naruto."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Well… if there's nothing else… later Uchiha-san."

Naruto proceeded to walk away again but Sasuke stopped him.

"Wait."

He waited, now feeling impatient. What the hell was he waiting to say anyways? If he wanted to ask him something he, should have hurried up with it already.

"…I know about it."

"Huh?" Know about it? Know about what? Did Sasuke figure out that Naruto was a ward of the Hyuugas? Well… for the past few weeks he hadn't exactly continued with that charade so people were bound to figure out sooner or later.

"…the Fox."

"…" Suddenly, a silence fell between them. The wind blew gently but still strong enough to scatter leaves into the air. One landed on Naruto's shoulder though he completely ignored it. His eyes were wide with shock and his mouth parted open in surprise.

Sasuke finally turned his head and met Naruto's gaze determinedly.

"…I know about the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

**owo**

**A/N: And that's a wrap! This marks the end of the 'children' arc and next chapter will begin with the genin graduations. What do you guys think of this chapter? Did some things piss you off or some things made you jump for joy? Well I dunno about that but whatever you guys think, leave you reviews here! I read them all and they sustain me xD**

**Till next time people.**

**-Phoenix**

**REVIEW!  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Yo everyone, had a nice week? I certainly didn't -_-. Well I won't go into details but lets just say I'm going to be incredibly busy... AGAIN! Bleh... I'll try to keep up the updates and make them a little consistent but I may be late on some of them. It's getting pretty hectic over here recently...**

**Anyways, here's the new 'genin' arc! Hope you guys have some fun reading it!**

**owo  
**

Mmmm… the feeling of the cool morning air blowing gently on his head felt incredibly nice, especially since the rest of his body was encased within some very thick sheets, keeping him comfortably warm.

Ahhh it's so comfortable and with no incentive to get up, he could sleep the whole morning away.

"…Ugh!!!"

Unfortunately, the 'incentive' chose that moment to appear.

Gasping at the lost of breath from the sudden weight on his stomach, Naruto felt the amazing comfort that he had in those precious moments ago suddenly dash away into the abyss once more. He gritted his teeth and slowly opened a darkened blue eye.

It met with beautiful lavender orbs.

"Ohayo." They said to him. "It's morning, time to get up."

"…Ugh…" He tried to roll to the side but it was useless with her sitting on his stomach like that. Finally, with a reluctant groan, he sat up and moved her gently moved her aside so that she wouldn't go and fall.

"…Thanks for the wake up call Hanabi."

The young Hyuuga gave him a smile. "I do my best Naruto-niisan. Now hurry up and get dressed. Onee-chan is waiting for you. She says today is important or something… I couldn't hear much."

"Yeah, yeah I got it squirt." Naruto grinned as he moved an arm to ruffle the little Hyuuga's long hair, causing her to puff up her cheeks in mock anger. He could tell that she really didn't mind though. After all, he had taken the habit of ruffling her hair for as long as she could remember. It was that one sign of sibling like affection that she allowed only from him.

The young blond slowly got out of bed, taking off the nightshirt along the way. With a sigh, he slowly hung it on a nearby rack and opened up a nearby closet to get his day's clothes ready.

"Oi squirt. Are you going to just sit there all day watching me or are you going to eat?" Hanabi tilted her head questioningly at him.

"I already ate breakfast with mother." She replied. "Besides, there's another whole hour before father begins my training. Naruto-niisan is the one who's late."

Naruto grunted at her tart reply as he took off his sleeping shorts and putting on a pair of black pants. "Do you always have to remind me about being late? And on that topic, can't you find a better way to wake me up. I don't really like it when someone suddenly hops on to my stomach and sits on it as if it were a chair."

"I've already tried a lot of things." Hanabi held out three tiny fingers and began pointing at each of them. "Nudging you doesn't work, prodding you only makes you turn the other way, and when I trying yelling at you, you act as if you don't even hear me."

Naruto's eye twitched at that memory. Truthfully, he _did _wake up from those small attempts but he had always pretended to stay asleep so that she would go ahead and leave him alone. But now that she decided to use a more effective attempt to wake him up, she hadn't stopped since.

He'd been missing those precious half hours of extra rest ever since.

"…Fine whatever." Naruto slipped on the gray shirt and socks before heading out. "Come on, I'm sure you've been wanting to do this forever."

Hanabi's answer was a big smile.

**owo**

Hinata slowly released her breath as she faced her 'opponent'. With but a brief tap into her chakra reserves, she quickly activated her family's doujutsu.

The young heiress fell into a ready stance as she circled her foe, watching for any signs of weakness. Her movements were slow, calculating and with no worries. She was calm, without any show of worry or hesitation on her face. This is a battle, she cannot afford to make a mistake.

Her eyes widened and suddenly, she made her move.

Hinata raced forward, dodging strikes aimed at her head, neck, and torso. She crouched low to have another low blow miss before lunging upwards. Hinata rammed her hand onto her opponent and immediately released her chakra. With her Byakugan, she immediately saw that it had landed on target.

Her opponent staggered from the blow before collapsing onto the floor, dead.

"…Good work." From the sidelines, Hiashi nodded to his daughter, accepting her triumph over her opponent. Hinata bowed to her father to show her gratitude before bending down to pick up her opponent.

The training puppet was a special device used by shinobis to keep themselves in shape. It was literally a mannequin that can be charged with chakra and 'programmed' with a seal in the area where a real person would have their heart. By writing the kanjis from one to twelve onto area where one would have eyes, a person can set how difficult the puppet would be.

Hinata had fought off a level five, quite decent for a ten year old girl.

"Very well. As you have completed this stage, I won't hold you up any further. Do well on today's test Hinata." The heiress nodded and walked back in to the complex, getting ready for the Academy.

And she just so happened to bump right to Naruto.

The blond blinked, momentarily forgetting where he was, before he gave her a grin. "Yo." He greeted. "Morning Hinata."

"Ah, morning Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled back, her cheeks reddening just a bit. "I take it you and Hanabi had fun?"

Naruto grunted. "Ch… at first glance you wouldn't think she had that much energy. Took me a while to finally get her to stop running."

"Oh? Or is it that Naruto-kun is simply not as strong as he thinks?"

Hinata giggled at how Naruto opened and closed his mouth, doing an almost perfect imitation of a gold fish. Naruto, after the initial feeling of shock wore off, looked away in embarrassment. "…"

"I'm joking. Of course Naruto-kun is strong." Hinata smiled and walked away. "Can you wait by the door for a moment? I'll be ready in a minute."

Naruto watched her walk away, feeling warm contentment in his chest as he watched her walk to her room. In the past few years, he had truly seen the progress that Hinata had made in slowly emerging from that shell that he remembered all those years ago. When times came that she honestly looked to go back into that fearful corner again out of despair, he had always been there to lend a hand and to simply be there as company.

Now, he definitely saw the changes.

Granted, Hinata's still soft-spoken. That's a trait that he doubt would ever leave her and honestly, the thought of a loud Hinata kind of scared him. She's also shy but now she no longer stuttered all that much in her speech. And there were moments when she would speak out when something was wrong.

But of course, the old Hinata was still there and Naruto honestly felt glad that she was.

She would still get a little red whenever he was around and there would still be times that he sees her poking her fingers together in anxiety. But she also still had that kindness that amazed him since the beginning and that determination, something that she had hid for years, was still there.

"Heh." Naruto grinned as he walked out towards the door. "No matter what, Hinata is still Hinata. No one can ask for anything different."

As he waited for Hinata's arrival, munching on a onigiri to sate his hunger, Naruto reminisced over the five years that he had stayed in the Hyuuga clan's complex.

For five whole years, he felt like he was treated like a family member. Of course, he had no idea how a real family member would feel but his time with the Hyuugas had been incredibly content. They treated him with respect, they _acknowledged _his existence. It more than what he could have hoped for when he was still that lonely boy trying to make friends.

And now, thinking of the Hyuugas and the warm memories that they gave, Naruto found that he was now hesitant to part from them.

Even now, after all those good memories, he still remembered what he had said back then in the hospital.

He agreed to becoming the Hyuugas' ward but had said that the moment he graduates and becomes a shinobi, then he was to be allowed to depart from the clan and seek his own residence.

It wasn't impossible financially. For as long as he could remember, Naruto had always received a monthly stipend from the old Hokage and in the year that he had been gone, that amount had cumulated to a rather large amount.

He had then asked the Hokage to open a bank account for him to deposit all that money and for the past five years, it had been steadily gaining more and more through interest. Of course, Naruto had also constantly been depositing the extra money that he did not need and by now, he could safely say that he had enough money to buy a large apartment room for himself.

But the question is not whether he could pay for it.

It is if he still wants to.

His time being alone had left a deep impression onto his mind. Ever since, he had always desired to become independent, to never have to rely on someone again. Of course, he had the Hokage to rely on as he had been the first person to have ever helped him. However, even with his times in the Hyuugas' care, he had still wanted to one day leave and forge his own living.

It had been a matter of what little remained of his self worth and the guilt of being part of the reason behind five of them suffering so much.

But now, now that he felt his own person possible of being missed should he disappear and with the fear of being alone again, Naruto felt his ambition slowly diminishing.

There was also a portion of him that was greedy. He liked the way he was treated like a family member. He also liked living in relative ease. Why should he abandon such a lifestyle? He lived with a great friend and her parents were loving… though one of them had a hard time showing it, and he found that he truly enjoyed playing around with the little sister, who had grown as fond of him as he was for her.

Did he honestly want to leave all that behind?

"Maa… this is definitely nerve-wracking." Naruto sighed and popped the last bit of onigiri into his mouth. "Can't say I'm looking forward to it as much as I had before."

"Eh? Looking forward to what?" Naruto turned his head. Hinata was standing just out of the corridor, tilting her head in a questioning manner.

He grinned and shook his head. "Nah, I was just thinking of the graduation exam and just how fast time seemed to have flown by."

"Mmm… that's true. It seemed like these five years came by so fast…" Hinata slowly put on her boots. "And now, we're going to take our graduation exams and become genins."

"…Yeah…" Naruto straightened up from the counter and opened the door. "Come on. After this, we'll be genins for sure."

**owo**

The whole class was filled with nervous anticipation, with every student awaiting the exam that would determine their career. Many were hoping to pass, pursuing their dreams of becoming infamous shinobis without thinking of the weight behind those dreams. Others simply wanted the best paying job and with no considering the life expectancy, they chose the one with the highest pay.

Whatever the reason, every student there had but one goal: To pass the genin exam.

Naruto sighed and leaned back in his chair. Honestly, does everyone get so worked up over these exams? How foolish. It's either you get it or you don't. If you had the talent or grasped the skills well enough then you would immediately pass.

Well… he could understand their anxiety. It's their careers after all.

"…Hinata, do you think you'll be ready for the exam?"

She looked away from the window at his call. "Ano… I think it would be doable. I mean… Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei wouldn't be making an exam on things that we haven't learned before right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Still, it seems practically everyone in the class is rather nervous. It's like they all forgot today was the exam or something."

"And knowing you, you'd probably really did forget it was today." Both Naruto and Hinata looked behind them to see Uchiha Sasuke standing behind with his arms crossed and a stoic expression… as always.

"Heh." Naruto grinned and scooted a little so that Sasuke could get to his seat besides him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

The Uchiha merely remained silent, refusing to humor the blond with an answer. It was all the well too as the doors opened right that moment and the two chuunin proctors walked in.

The class immediately quieted down as Iruka smiled and gestured to Mizuki, who placed a large crate with forehead protectors all neatly placed.

"Everyone… I assume you all know that today is the culmination of all that you have learned. This exam will be to test your skills and prowess, to determine whether or not you are really worthy of becoming a shinobi." Iruka pointed at the door with a solemn expression. "Those that can't meet our expectations will be forced to leave the classroom and either they have to take the Academy again or consider any potential wishes in learning to be a ninja… gone."

'_Oh yeah…' _Naruto thought with a healthy dose of sarcasm. _'That definitely made everyone feel better.'_

"Now that we got that over with, who wants to go first?"

The whole class was silent. Many of the students were either too nervous in being first and others still had doubts on whether or not they could pass.

Or, in Sasuke's place, he didn't want to have volunteer himself unless someone else did.

"…Tch… fine, I'll get this over with." Naruto slowly stood up from his seat and walked down the steps, now fully aware that practically everyone had their eyes on him. Iruka nodded and jotted down the first tester before gesturing to the door behind him. Naruto stopped in front of the door, turned around, and gave the class a grin before walking in, with Iruka and Mizuki behind.

When Naruto made his way to the testing room, he was met with perhaps the single most ridiculous looking obstacles course there was.

Training puppets, armed to the teeth with blunt weapons, littered the hall like a miniature army. Every single one of them snapped to attention the moment Naruto walked in and all of them went into stances, as if to protect something.

"Well, don't you think this is a good test for you Naruto?"

The blond looked up at the smiling proctor and had the sudden urge to wipe that smile off his face. It was clearly a little _too _good if there were twenty or so training puppets trying to knock you out.

"…Iruka-sensei. Are you a sadist?"

"…"

"…"

"…" Mizuki covered his mouth to muffle up his laughter.

"…"

"…"

"…Naruto." Iruka walked up to the blond calmly, as if to lecture the blond. Naruto looked up, expecting some type of explanation of the term 'sadist' and how he was the exact opposite of it or something.

What he got was a fist smashing to his skull.

"Ow! Iruka-sensei what the hell!?"

"Language Naruto." Iruka grinned and walked back. "Now the exam is to simply take the scroll that's in the container at the other side of the room. You may use any skills you've learned. You start with a total of a hundred points but they may be docked depending on what mistakes you make. If your points get below seventy five, then you fail."

"Below seventy five? But isn't seventy still passing?"

Mizuki walked up to explain. "We base the points as a matter of percentage. If someone were to get below seventy five percent in mission success, do you honestly want to hire that person for missions? There is a minimum of seventy five and that's considered generous already. There is an assumption that has time goes on, your percentage rate of success goes up by five or six. Therefore, seventy five is the minimum you may have as success."

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned and scratched his head a little. "Well thanks for letting me warm up the stupid puppets."

Iruka ignored that as he filled out the needed information on the score sheet. Once finished, he nodded to the blond. "Whenever you're ready."

Naruto grinned and immediately darted forward.

The training puppets reacted immediately. One of them crouched low and threw a number of shurikens while another charged forward with a ninjato. Naruto flicked out a kunai and proceeded to block three of them, ducking to avoid the last four or so, and jumped over the charging puppet.

As he was over the puppet, he grabbed it by the collar of its chest and as he landed, used the momentum to hurl at the others. It crashed and knocked down a few but Naruto didn't care to pay attention, darted out of the way as another shower of shurikens fell right where he was.

The blond gave a brief moment of concentration before leaping up and latching onto the ceiling. He stuck his feet onto it and made sure to increase his speed a little as he ran forward.

It was just as well as kunais constantly embedded to where he was a split second before.

'_This is pretty damn intense for an exercise dammit.'_ Naruto mused to himself as a puppet met him in midair. It brandished a bo staff, shooting it out of its hands in precise strikes.

Naruto once again flicked out a kunai to block those strikes. He then grabbed the staff and with a jerk, spun it away from the puppet's hands. He then took his kunai and drove it straight into the chest compartment where the seal was.

The puppet fell, now no longer having its programming, and Naruto leapt down from the ceiling to accompany it.

But the moment he landed, he immediately jumped up again. The puppets had already reacted and where flinging those shurikens at him like toys. Except they'll hurt like hell when they hit him.

"Tch… damn it I'm not going anywhere." Naruto jumped to the right to avoid another hail of shurikens. "These things certainly put up a decent fight. In that case…"

While in midair, he immediately fell into making hand-seals.

When he landed, Naruto slammed his hand onto the ground.

"Doton: Jishinshusho!" Naruto made sure to put in as little chakra as possible. After all, he didn't want to bust up the ground like last time. Yet even with the minimum, it was enough produce the desired effect. With the ground trembling fiercely, many of the puppets lost their footings and fell, leaving a wide path completely open.

"Yosh." With the road before him clear, Naruto immediately applied as much chakra to his legs as possible, sprinting his way up to the scroll. While running, he also made sure to throw some smoke bombs along the way so that the explosion would help mask his movements.

It proved effective.

After that, there was no puppets standing in his way and the scroll was clearly in his reach.

But Naruto's senses warned him of danger.

He quickly moved away as a large shuriken imbedded onto where he was just a moment ago. The blond immediately looked up, to see another puppet hanging onto some ropes connected to kunais.

"…Odd, this one's pretty smart compared to the rest."

The puppet descended and at the same time, reared back its fist. Naruto's eyes widened and again, jumped out of the way. Yet the puppet switched stances, crouching low and then diving forwards, preparing for a spinning kick.

"Shit!" It came a little faster than he expected and Naruto could only raise his arms to protect his head as the kick connected.

The room rang with a sickening crunch as Naruto was flung to the side from the force of kick. He gritted his teeth and righted himself in time to avoid a multitude of projectiles.

"Damn… this puppet is higher level. No wonder since it's the last guard." He glanced back to the room, noting that the other puppets were already beginning to rise up. "Shit… I have to finish this now."

He would have to use another jutsu.

Naruto once again dove into hand-seals, dodging shurikens and kunais along the way. The puppet seemed fit to make sure that at the very least, Naruto wasn't going to have an easy time hitting it with whatever it was going to use.

But accuracy didn't matter for this technique.

"Fuiton: Kaze no Tate!" Naruto held his palms together and gave a thrust. Immediately, the wind around him began building up until finally, a wall of air stood between him and the puppets. By now, all the puppets had returned to their feet and upon noticing that Naruto was already to the goal, proceeded to throw every single weapon they have with no stop.

But it was useless.

The wall of air blocked all projectiles and though it only lasted for a measly ten seconds, it was enough for Naruto to snatch the scroll.

With their 'treasure' gone, the puppets halted all attacks and stood still. As the wall of air dissipated, Naruto slowly walked back to the edge of the training field, where Iruka and Mizuki were waiting.

"Well… had it not been for the brief moment that you got hit, I would have given you a perfect score." Iruka grinned. "But well, I suppose no can be that perfect right? Congratulations Naruto, you've earned your status. You're officially a genin now."

Naruto grinned and thanked both the proctors.

When Naruto walked out, he didn't even bother to look at anyone in particular, preferring to look at the clock.

He had been in the room for only fifteen minutes? It felt like an hour. Naruto gave a grunt of annoyance as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked back to his seat.

Everyone thought he had failed until he stopped to pick up a forehead protector along the way.

Naruto stopped right in front of the row where both Hinata and Sasuke were watching him, the former with a smile and the latter with an arched eyebrow. The blond merely grinned and jerked his thumb towards the exam room.

"Next." He said cheerfully.

**owo**

The other two had passed the test as well though Naruto was not nearly as enthusiastic for Sasuke's method of passing.

For Hinata, she had said that she simply used her Byakugan to be able to dodge all the weapons thrown at her. Though she wasn't able to get to the scrolls as fast as she wanted, she had not even needed to resort to knocking out any of the puppets. The only exception had been the 'boss guard' who she had barely given a moment's notice before she drove a Jyuuken strike right into its chest compartment. After that, everything came out easily and she received a perfect score.

Sasuke, on the other hand, chose possibly the easiest and most irritating method that Naruto had heard so far. The damn Uchiha had purposely waited until he was the last one to go. He walked in and came out no more than a minute or so later. When prodded for an answer, Sasuke simply said that he used the Uchiha's trademark fire technique.

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu.

Why was that annoying? Simple, the technique was a giant fireball. It's size alone would have prevented those puppets from doing anything and coupled with the incredible speed of its strike, all those puppets must have been incinerated at a moments notice.

But it seemed Sasuke still got points docked. Apparently, his flames got a little too close to the scroll and some of it got burnt.

Naturally, he wasn't so happy with losing those few points but the fact that he still got a better score than Naruto made him feel a little better.

After the exam, all of those that had passed were congratulated by both Iruka and Mizuki. Mizuki then proceeded to explain that the scrolls they all obtained from the exam was part of the prize for winning and told them all to open them.

When they did, they were met with a surprisingly cool technique.

Ninpou: Konoha Shuriken.

Judging by the description, it's a technique that has the user soak leaves with chakra. The leaves would then be hardened and with a simple gesture, the user can fire them like shurikens.

For Naruto, it was an amazing gift, a true reinforcing outcome for his new genin career.

The blond grinned as he made his way out of the Academy, with the two behind him. He turned around and gave a wide flourish at all the vendors on the streets.

"Hey how about we commemorate this achievement by having a big giant lunch? Hell, I'll even pay for us all."

"Hmph." Sasuke looked away. "As much as I would love to watch you inhale your food like a vacuum, I have other things to take care of. Unfortunately, I'll have to pass this time."

Naruto glared at the Uchiha as he walked away. "…Damn kill joy." He muttered. "What about you Hinata? Want to go out to eat?"

The heiress's face lit up in a blush, for some strange reason, but she too shook her head, if a little reluctantly. "A-ano… m-mother asked me to help her with the herbs today… s-so I'm sorry but I can't go with you."

Hinata bowed low in apology before running off. Naruto watched her go, feeling confused at her reaction, and just a little put out that everyone was busy.

"Man… oh well, guess I'll just go eat with Shikamaru and Chouji then." Naruto sighed and placed his hands on the back of his head as he prepared to go to the local barbeque shop.

"Oh Naruto! I'm glad I managed to catch up to you!" The blond arched an eyebrow and turned around. There, coming straight out of the Academy, was Mizuki-sensei. Odd, what did he want with him?

"Mizuki-sensei… is there something you need?"

The man stopped just in front of him, apparently out of breath. Now that was strange. He had never seen Mizuki-sensei act like this. Was there something wrong?

"Naruto… I don't know how to say this to you… but…"

"…Huh?"

"Naruto… someone stole your genin verification sheet!"

"What!?" His genin verification sheet was the one thing that proved he became a genin! Without it… without he…!

Mizuki shook his head. "I don't know who did it. And unfortunately, the exam is already over… I'm sorry but the supervisors won't accept you unless you have that sheet."

Naruto bowed his head, his bangs now covering his eyes. For a while, no one said anything and Mizuki simply gave Naruto sympathetic glances. Finally, the boy looked up, with a helpless expression on his face. "…Isn't there anything that can be done?"

"…" Mizuki stood back and thought about it. There was one way…

"Yes… if you complete at least a C – class mission, even the supervisors will have to accept you as a genin." Mizuki grinned. "And after that, the sheets will simply be written in person by him."

"Then! Then we need to get this mission!"

"As it stands… I don't think there are any that will accept an academy student. Unless they see that sheet you're still technically a student unless…" Mizuki slowly reached in his shuriken pouch and produced an envelope and a brush. He then proceeded to writing a big 'C' in front of the envelope. "…Unless I make the mission myself."

"…What's the mission?"

"It's a simple training exercise like the exam. Your mission is to infiltrate Hokage-sama's administration building and take a scroll that he placed for training. Strictly speaking, he'll be in on it too but will act as per part. This was originally for mid-class genins but I think you can do it." Mizuki smiled and handed Naruto the envelope. "So do you agree to it?"

"Of course!" Naruto snatched the envelope with a grin on his face. "When's the rendezvous point?"

"The old cabin building in the edge of Konoha's northern forest."

"Yosh… then I'll hurry it up."

Mizuki nodded. As Naruto walked away, the chuunin couldn't help but give a nasty grin. He was going to get a scroll of power AND take out the village's little problem in one swoop. Killing two birds with one stone! With this, he'll become even stronger and more respected in this village than ever before! This plan was full proof!

"Hehehehehe… just you wait you damn fox. You're living on borrowed time now."

Little did Mizuki know, Naruto had the same nasty grin on his face.

"Hehehe… watch out Mizuki-sensei… you think you're so smart… just wait till I rub this in your face." He already formulated his plan the moment the chuunin gave his mission. Honestly… whoever would have fell for this ruse would have to be the biggest idiot in the world and the only honorable thing to do if it had been him would be to end his own life.

**owo**

It was pretty damn dark by the time Mizuki made it to the rendezvous point. Yet, he had been waiting for the signal of a stolen scroll for what seemed like hours. The chuunin's eyes darkened in annoyance. Either the boy was a little better in espionage than he thought or he was simply caught.

If it was the latter, then his entire plan would go down in ruins.

"Damn it… he'd better have succeeded." Mizuki cursed to himself as he crouched on top of a branch, waiting for a any possible sign that the boy made it through.

Surprisingly, he didn't have to wait long.

The branches rustled with movement and the leaves shook, alerting the chuunin to a person's presence. He quickly latched out a large shuriken from his back, bracing himself for this intruder.

But he relaxed when the intruder was the boy.

"Yo Mizuki-sensei, that was a lot easier than I thought!"

Mizuki grinned and held out his hands. "And did you get the scroll?"

"Yep!" Naruto reached back and pulled out a large scroll. There, the kanjis written spelled out the Forbidden Scroll of Seals, marking it as the right one. Mizuki's smile grew as he gestured for the boy to get closer. "Good job Naruto. After this, the supervisor will have no choice but to make you a genin."

Naruto smirked and tossed the scroll to the chuunin. Mizuki caught it, holding on to the scroll with an almost tender care. This was what he had sought for much of his life: power! Now… now he had it in his grasp!

"Oh Mizuki-sensei, I forgot something important that I have to tell you."

Annoyed that someone had just butted in to his thoughts, Mizuki returned his attention to the blond and gave a very gruff "What?"

Naruto's smirk widened as he held out a finger.

"Boom."

The chuunin's eyes widened as the scroll suddenly lit up. All of a sudden, before he had a chance to drop it, the scroll exploded in his arms. The whole forest suddenly became quiet as the chuunin screamed and writhed in pain. When the smoke had settled, it was revealed that Mizuki's hands were blown clean off, ending at the wrists, and the right side of his face looked to have had third degree burns.

Naruto shook his head and made 'go ahead' motion with his hands.

Immediately, a group of chuunin guards appeared with the Hokage in tow. Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded his head and the chuunins made their way to the traitor.

"Mizuki, for your crimes in conspiracy, theft, and sabotage, you are to be taken prisoner." One of the chuunins gagged the traitor with a rope and the others restrained him with sealed talismans. With no possible way to escape, the chuunin traitor had little choice but to be forcefully led away.

That didn't stop him from trying though.

Both Naruto and Hiruzen watched the chuunin struggle insanely for freedom, writhing and thrashing in his captors' grips. The blond merely shook his head, marveling at how quickly the day came by.

He didn't feel sorry for the traitor. In his years in the academy, he had never particularly liked the chuunin as he seemed more like a bootlicker than anything. This treason only served as another point in the list about things he didn't like about him.

"Good job Naruto-kun." Hiruzen glanced down and smiled at the blond. "You did the village a great service."

Naruto grinned and held out his hands. "That's part of the reward but where's the other part you promised me hmm?"

The Sandaime gave a chuckle and produced a small scroll, most likely hand written by himself. "This is the equivalent of a B – rank mission but because of its secrecy, I am unable to may your dues. However, I believe this scroll should serve as a good enough payment. It is a technique from the Forbidden Scrolls, the first one in fact, I am sure that given your enormous chakra reserves, this will serve as useful little technique."

"Heh." Naruto took the scroll and gave the Hokage a bow. "It's a pleasure as always Jiji."

Hiruzen grinned and ruffled the boy's head before disappearing, most likely to follow the chuunin group as they lead the traitor back. Naruto kept his gaze on the spot where the old man had been, before looking down at the scroll.

Naruto then leapt down from the tree, landing next to the old cabin with the lantern still there, and in the light, opened up the scroll.

"…Kage Bunshin no Jutsu…?"

**owo**

**A/N: I feel like I rushed the end a little... meh... I might come back and edit this some day... anyways, with this, the team is finally set! I'm pretty damn sure that everyone knows who the teammates for Team 7 are going to be... and frankly, if you don't I'm going to smash the giant hammer known as 'Common Sense' to your heads xD**

**Again, it'll branch out from canon but canon characters will definitely make appearances. My favorites so far will be Zabuzza and Haku. I'm still working out how Team 7 will meet them but eh... I plan on keeping those two regardless :D**

**Oh and Haku's a GIRL!!! At least she is for my fanfiction! :D**

**Well I'm a little tired now so peace people!**

**-Phoenix**

**REVIEWS!!!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Damn this has got to be the longest chapter for me in a hell of a long time. Everyone I hope you all enjoy this as I felt like wasting some time and finishing this chapter. Don't really know what else to say aside from thanking one of my reviewers for helping me find out the grammar issues that has been happening quite frequently in this story. I'll try and edit the earlier chapters to help take out those things but I'm pretty busy for the whole week so... Yeah...**

**Haha anyways, I won't take up your time any longer. Here's the next chapter!**

**owo  
**

"Hmmm… so these are the kids that are going to be the new teams?" A group of jounins stood before a large crystal ball, which was showing a classroom full of freshly graduated academy students.

"Yeah and you know how it is. Hokage-sama has initiated the wartime powers, saying that it is better for teams to be well ready in teamwork already. Therefore the students who are most familiar with each other are placed in a team."

"Kind of kills the purpose of branching out loyalty doesn't it?"

"It's wartime struggles, can't make anything about it. Word is that a chuunin team was wiped out after a routine recon mission to Rice Country. We'll be needing as much people as possible for this."

The enormous door behind the jounins slid open, revealing the Sandaime Hokage accompanied with his two advisors. The jounins immediately snapped to attention as the venerable leader and his two long-time companions made their way to their respective seats of power.

Once seated, the Hokage folded his hands on his desk and nodded to the group.

"I hope you all have had a chance to see these fresh new genins as you will all be testing their mettle, to see if they truly have what it takes to become a shinobi." The room remained silent as everyone awaited the Hokage's words. "And now… I will ask your opinions."

No one really said anything as there was really nothing that much to tell. All of those genins were still wet behind the ears, they lacked experience, that much is sure. So what then, did Hokage-sama want to know?

"Hokage-sama, if I may." Everyone turned their attention towards the back, where the seasoned jounin, Hatake Kakashi stood slouching against the wall. He was probably one of the few who was allowed to do so in front of the strongest shinobi in their village. Sarutobi nodded, motioning for Kakashi to continue.

"I already have an inkling that I am to be placed as the jounin sensei of Team 7, which this year consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Again, the Hokage motioned for him to continue.

"I can only assume that part of the reason is for me to help the young Uchiha learn more about the Sharingan whenever he awakens his. Am I correct?"

"That is part of the reason, yes."

"Good. What I am asking here is simple: Why am I going to teach him?"

The silence that ensued was thick enough for a pin to drop and everyone would have heard it. Everyone was shocked. Hatake Kakashi was unwilling to teach the last Uchiha, the survivor of such a powerful warrior clan?

"What are you asking Kakashi?"

"What I am saying is simple. The Uchiha clan keeps extensive records of their Sharingan and other abilities. Activating the Sharingan is the only hard part that an Uchiha has. After that, everything else is basically self taught. There is no need for me to train the Uchiha as he will already have a great library about the Sharingan."

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed. Apparently, everyone had an expectation that Hatake Kakashi would not only agree with teaching the last Uchiha but would have also insisted it. Instead, he seemed to be rather annoyed that the job fell onto him.

"Mmmm yes. You are indeed correct." Hiruzen nodded to himself as he smoked his long pipe. It was true. The Uchiha would definitely leave scrolls that lay out everything about their Sharingan. It is safe to assume that Uchiha Sasuke will have the knowledge available should he ever need it.

But that isn't the entirety of his decision for Kakashi as the instructor.

The old Hokage nodded to his right, where Koharu was sitting. The aide then stood up to address the jounin group before her. "That part seems to have indeed been for naught but there is another reason why we chose you specifically for this position."

Kakashi arched an eyebrow. A reason more important than the Sharingan?

"As you already know, you are an accomplished shinobi in all three main branches of the ninja arts. Reconnaissance, Infiltration, and Assassination are all abilities that you are well versed in."

It wasn't a particularly flattering thing to know that he was a good killer but Kakashi nodded anyways.

"And it is because of that, that we make you this particular team's instructor."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

The old aide sighed and motioned to her left, where the other, Homura, stood up. "It is in direct relation to this team's abilities. It is already well known that the Byakugan is the single greatest reconnaissance doujutsu available, making all Hyuugas extremely effective scouts. The Sharingan, though adept in all three arts, is most particularly favored for infiltration with its ability to mimic movements, allowing users to capture information. Its use of genjutsu is also well sought by clients for sneak in missions that requires great secrecy. Lastly… Uzumaki's new doujutsu.

From what he has revealed, this… 'Magan' may very well be the single greatest doujutsu in terms of assassination. An ability that allows him to literally bypass objects and head straight to the life force of an enemy is an incredible weapon."

A chill fell to the room as some of the jounins shifted uncomfortably. Such a powerful doujutsu actually came to existence? It was almost frightening to know that no matter how thick your armor is, it will be completely useless against those eyes.

Finally, Kakashi sighed, "Alright, I understand. Then, I will take my leave."

The Hokage only nodded and watched on thoughtfully as the Copy Ninja slid open the door behind him and walked out.

**owo**

The whole classroom was abuzz with excitement as all the graduated genins waited anxiously for their jounin instructors. Finally, after four years of training, they were now one step closer to becoming true shinobis. All around, excited whispers flocked around as genins began asking around for information on their respective senseis.

But Naruto ignored them all.

He was, at the moment, still caught in absolute bliss.

The technique that the old Hokage had given him, the 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu', was basically such an amazing gift that after he had finished reading and trying it out, Naruto was almost afraid that he'd die happily.

From what the scroll had described, the Shadow Clone technique created solid clones through chakra alone, warping it to allow this clone to take solid form. What it also revealed was that each clone shared a strange link with the original, where upon being dispelled, he, the original, would know everything that had happened to the clone and what it had done in return.

Naruto had tried that by making a clone and sending it out to do something before dispelling itself. Eventually, he received the memories from that clone. Apparently, it had grabbed a random kid and proceeded to give it the biggest noogie it had ever felt in its life before dispelling itself. True enough, the memories all flood back to Naruto, proving that the he did indeed inherit the memories from the clones once they dispelled themselves.

Another thing that he found interesting was that although the scroll had made it clear that only by splitting chakra evenly could he hope to create the clones but it never specified how much chakra to split. So, Naruto took about enough chakra for a high C – rank ninjutsu and created about three shadow clones, all of whom were incredibly independent but still followed his orders. However, a simple strike, hard enough to knock them off their feet, had been enough to dispel them.

So, Naruto decided to up the ante.

He used the chakra equivalent of an A – rank technique and once again, divided it evenly between three shadow clones. These were incredibly more sturdy, taking close to fourteen hits before disappearing in clouds of smoke. These clones were definitely more toughter, a 'super' shadow clone of sorts.

"Ne… Naruto-kun?" The blond blinked at the hand that was waving in front of him. To his side, Hinata gave him a curious glance. Was there something wrong? He had been staring off into space for some time.

Naruto suddenly remembered that he was in a class, waiting for his new jounin instructor to arrive. The blond wanted to hit himself for his absentmindedness but instead, settled for a sheepish smile. "Haha, sorry about that Hinata, I just wandered off for a second."

Hinata giggled. "I could see that. But are you really alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. There's no need to worry bout me." Again, Hinata wanted to say something about that but suddenly, plumes of smoke just burst out of no where, freaking out some of the kids in the front row. Everyone immediately turned their attentions towards the front, where the numerous clouds of smoke began to disperse.

Before everyone's startled eyes, the smoke parted ways, revealing a squad of jounins, all standing to attention.

Immediately, everyone straightened up in their seats and the talking ceased to complete and utter silence. For a while, no one said anything. The jounins were simply scanning the room, looking at all the fresh new genins that would become their charges. Likewise, the genins were staring at the almost imposing figures of the jounins that stood before them, seeing these veterans are to become their captains and instructors.

Soon though, the silence was broken.

"Shiranui Genma for Team 1."

"Hayate Gekko for Team 2."

"Yamashiro Aoba for Team 3."

One by one, the groups of genins left their seats, to follow their new instructors out. At the same time, those that remained began to grow more and more anxious. This is the true defining moment of their lives. This is what they had strived for.

And now they've finally achieved it.

"Yuhi Kurenai for Team 8."

"Namiasha Raido for Team 9."

"Sarutobi Asuma for Team 10."

With that, all the students had left with their new instructors. The class was now completely empty except for Iruka.

And the three genins left.

Sasuke twitched as he glanced around him, noting that indeed, they were the only three left.

Across from him, Naruto gave a groan as Hinata gave him an empathetic glance.

"Dammit man where the hell is our sensei?"

**owo**

Hyuuga Hinako slowly opened her eyes, training them garden before her. It was peaceful, with the sounds of the birds chirping harmoniously with the flow of running water. The silence would only be interrupted for brief moments as the fish within the koi pond splash against the surface in their need to move.

Even the weather fitted the peaceful like state. Its bright sunlight shone on the village without a hint of clouds yet the breeze that would occasionally blow by were extremely cooling. It was the type of cool moderate temperature that Konoha is particularly known for.

And it is the type of temperature that she loved most.

"Hinako, what are you doing out here?" The Hyuuga matriarch looked back, and found herself meeting the eyes of her husband, Hiashi.

"What am I doing indeed." She murmured back and returned her gaze to the garden. Neither of them said anything and an uncomfortable silence befell the two of them. Even after four years, she found that she was still uncomfortable around her husband, still feeling the weight of his betrayal on part to raising their daughter.

It was a wound to her heart that ran deep.

People had said that time would help heal those wounds yet the bitter sting of betrayal, though dulled, was not forgotten. Even now, she could not understand how the husband that she had loved so dearly, how a man capable of such amazing love not only to her but to their precious first born, be capable of domestic abuse on such a level.

And that only made the betrayal hurt all the more.

With a start, Hinako realized that her eyes began to blur with tears. She hastily ducked her head and used the sleeves of her yukata to wipe away those tears.

"May I sit with you?"

The matriarch merely nodded and replied in a distant tone.

"Do as you wish."

Hiashi made his way to the porch and slowly sat down, making sure to retain a comfortable distance between them. He did not speak at first, allowing his wife to have the time to compose herself. He merely kept his gaze forward, giving her the space she needed.

Once he was sure that his wife had calmed, he spoke up.

"Though it is most likely true that you will never forgive me, I did what I did back then because of a weak and fearful heart. I was already devastated with what was most assuredly your death and how you were taken forever from me. Then, little Hinata appeared and I was struck with how similar she was to you not only in looks but in her very personality.

It is this same personality that I loved and yet, seeing it on someone else merely reminded me of my loss. So, I decided to close my heart to her, hoping that she would closer her heart to me. If that were to happen then she would grow up to be a very powerful member of our clan."

"…Is that supposed to excuse your actions?" Hinako narrowed her eyes angrily, and though the tears were slowly returning, she did nothing to stop them. "You'd hurt our daughter and made her feel pathetic! Is that how a true parent should act?"

Hiashi was silent.

"And what about us? Although our marriage was arranged, you had told me that you loved me, that it was a mutual love between us despite its arrangement. Why then? Why would you do so much to harm the culmination of our love? Do we mean nothing to you?"

"Enough…" He whispered silently.

"Had you been lying to us? Was the Hiashi-sama that I loved and loved me back merely a mask that you used? Am I nothing but a bearer for an heir? Is that why you did what you did?"

"Enough."

This time, it was more than a whisper. Hiashi's Byakugan flared with an almost uncontrolled killing intent and for a moment, Hinako felt her heart stop in fear.

No, this was the same Hiashi that she loved but he fell into his fighting state, something that she had seen only once.

This was more than just plain chakra domination on his part, though it alone would have sufficed. Hiashi was _furious_. She could see it immediately. Her husband's anger burned with his chakra and it flared to such an extent that it looked like he was exuding blue flames.

Hinako's eyes widened in surprise and terror. This was the strength of the clan head. This was the strength that Hyuuga Hiashi possessed.

But just as soon as it appeared, it dissipated.

Hiashi slowly released his breath in a long cautious stream as his chakra melded back into his body. Once the last traces of his previous enragement had subsided, he slumped a little forward, his face matted with sweat.

And it was this time that Hinako truly looked at her husband.

She had to admit; the moment that she had learned of her husband's actions, she always deliberately refrained from looking at his face and had always kept their conversations short. For four long years, she had done her best to isolate herself from the man whom she loved and resented the most.

And yet now, now that she truly managed to see his face and features, the resentment melted away into worry.

Hiashi was sick, that much is sure. Though many would not see this for the incredible aura that he gives off, Hiashi's face revealed that he was exhausted and ill. His skin sunk in to his cheeks, making him gaunt, and lines appeared around his forehead and mouth, giving him the appearance of a man much older than he should.

His form was skinny, much more so than she would have thought, and now that the familiar aura of the clan head was gone for the moment, his entire form seemed to hunch downwards, as if he no longer had the strength to sit up straight.

"…H-Hiashi-sama…?" She could not believe it. After four years… he looked so defeated, so weak. More than anything, he looked nothing as how a clan head should.

Where had that amazing aura gone? Where was the Hiashi that she came to know?

Almost unconsciously, she inched forward with her hands outstretched, trying to touch the face of a man who once looked so full of life.

But her fingers never made it.

Hiashi abruptly stood up, and the aura returned. Yet now that she had a chance to see him again, to truly look at his features again, that aura seemed almost like a thin piece of paper. She could still see the traces of a man on his road to losing a great deal of his health.

"Hiashi-sama… you… you look so thin…"

"As I should. There had been an abundance of meetings and administrations within the clan and not enough time for rest. I was unaware that you did not know as you had returned for four years now." And this time, the matriarch's eyes widened at the tone of her husband.

It was tired, and bitter with resentment, yet above all, there was a sense of self-loathing in his words.

All at once, Hinako realized her husband's state.

He was killing himself. If she had been like this for four years, then he had been steadily punishing himself for the same amount of time. The man she knew, the man she loved was still there and it was evident in the way he seemed to blame himself.

After all, Hiashi had always been one of the kindest souls she had ever met.

"Hiashi-sama…" She bit her lip, now suddenly realizing just what her words might have done. If anything, her husband had been taking a form of self-retribution for his past actions. Her words just then might have hurt him far worse. "Hiashi-sama, you do not look well. Please, rest for the day."

Her husband did not reply. Rather, he merely ignored her as he slowly made his way back to the hall. As she watched him, now with both worry and guilt, she noticed another thing that she had not seen in those past four years.

Hiashi was carrying a cane.

There was also an almost unnoticeable limp in his steps, as if his strength on one leg was already waning.

This alarmed her as well.

"Wait!" Hiashi stopped but did not face her. "Please, Hiashi-sama, I am sorry. I did not know. Please… forgive me and rest. You're only hurting yourself and others!"

Again, he did not respond. At least, not immediately. Hinako lowered her eyes to the floor, now thoroughly aware of just what her words must have left in his heart.

Finally, she noticed that his feet had turned, indicating that he was now facing her. She quickly looked up again but found that her husband merely trained a cold eye on her.

"Hiashi…sama…?"

"You were right." He said softly.

At the sight of her confusion, he turned away again. "You were correct in your earlier assessment. I _was _just using you to bear heirs. The man you love _doesn't_ exist."

Hinako felt her body turned to stone. She… she was just his heir-bearer?

"And that is why I took you from the branch family. There was no other reason other than my need for a ready heir to succeed my position." Hiashi slowly began to walk away. "Now if you will excuse me, I still have many meetings to attend. Merely talking to you has already cost me an important agreement between several influential figures."

And with that, he was gone, leaving a distraught wife behind.

No, Hinako knew that her husband's words were lies, that he truly _did_ love her and their children. The moment she had seen his face, and how utterly exhausted he was, she knew that he had been quietly suffering his own penance for these past four years.

She had not known the extent of his self-induced suffering.

But now she did.

And that only made his rejection of her apology sting all that much more.

Suddenly, Hinako collapsed to her knees onto the wooden floor. She slowly wrapped her arms around herself, finally releasing the long pent up desire for her beloved husband's warmth and love. Yet it seemed she would never have it again and this time, she had no one to blame but herself. She drove him to this point and in her foolishness, shattered the last chance she had to returning her beloved family to its once happy state.

Her body again shook with the force of her sorrow as again and again, she sobbed in that tranquil setting.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… Hiashi-sama… I'm so sorry…"

**owo**

At that moment, the only thing that Naruto wanted to do was to somehow find their jounin-sensei and give him the biggest beating he would ever have in his lifetime.

It had almost been two hours already. Just how long is this damn jounin going to make them wait?

In the beginning, Naruto had decided to go back to Chiriku-shisho's teachings and fall into a state of meditation. He found that it had done an incredible job of mentally fortifying his being and to help pass the time to boot.

But Chiriku-shisho had always insisted that the meditations to end in one hour intervals. Naruto followed this and ended his meditation after one whole hour.

Only to discover that this stupid Hatake Kakashi had still not arrived.

Now that only served to annoy him even further. He had thought that by the time he finished his meditation, that stupid jounin would have arrived but instead, he found that not only did he not show up, but he proceeded to staying absent for almost another hour.

"Dammit this is taking forever." Hinata glanced over at him, and noted that he had taken out a shuriken, fingering it almost anxiously.

"Naruto-kun…? What are you going to do with that shuriken?"

"Hmph… a little present for the bastard if he ever shows up." Naruto grinned and tossed it around like a toy. "No worries. If he's really a jounin then he'll dodge it no problem. If he can't… well, he shouldn't have the title in the first place."

"Be that as it may, I don't think that's a good idea." From where he was sitting, Sasuke nodded over to the pointy little object with plenty of irritation in his eyes. "I don't want there to be a chance that we happened to have killed our jounin-sensei. Just think about what it'll be like in our records."

Naruto's eye twitched in irritation. "Sasuke." He replied. "Right now, I wouldn't care if our sensei could be the next Hokage after Jiji retires. He's seriously ticking me off. If a little scare will teach him to get here on time, then I'll definitely do it."

And it was right then that the clock rang, signaling that it was two after noon. And right in synch with that clock, the door slid open. Naruto's eyes widened and he immediately flung his shuriken at top speed.

Of course, he didn't really want to kill the guy, no matter how annoyingly late he was. It seemed either he knew it or his reaction was just slow as he did not move when the shuriken imbedded onto the door frame right next to his face.

The man settled into a sheepish expression and scratched the back of his head in an almost dazed manner.

"Yo… you wouldn't happen to be Team 7 would you?"

The literal explosion of killing intent being generated by both Naruto and Sasuke confirmed his answer. From where she was, Hinata frowned at the man but merely tried to placate the fuming blond next to her.

"Maa maa, no need to be so angry at me." The jounin lazily pointed outside with his thumb. "Meet me on the rooftop, we'll continue our little introduction there."

When the three got up to the roof, with Naruto still grumbling and Sasuke still scowling, they found their sensei lounging rather peacefully and had been staring at the sky before lowering his gaze towards the three of them. The man inclined his head over towards the seats directly across from him and the three of them immediately walked over to take them.

"Yosh." Kakashi drawled out lazily. "Well… to start, I suppose I should congratulate you on taking a step into your shinobi careers. As a jounin, it will be my job as a commander to our team and an instructor to your progress. To start, why don't we introduce ourselves?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow and spoke up. "You go first."

"Hmmm… alright. Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have many likes and dislikes but going over them would be too long and boring. My dream is to… well… I have hobbies."

What was with that lack luster introduction? Naruto shook his head and sighed as he went and introduced himself to really the only person that didn't know him.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like… stuff. I dislike some people that I'd rather not say. My hobby would be meditation I guess… haven't really thought about it much. As for my dream…" Naruto's eyes glazed over for a moment and he looked up towards the sky. "…to have a successful life."

"Mmm… good job." Kakashi seemed to have approved of Naruto's introduction, especially in his hobby and dreams. Originally, he had some doubts about being the instructor to the Kyuubi's jailor but it seemed it's for naught. The boy seems to genuinely want to succeed in being a shinobi.

"Next."

The jounin's attention shifted over towards the blond's right, where a rather cute little Hyuuga girl gave a soft blush at the boy's nudging. She slowly released her breath as she made her introduction. She must be a shy person.

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I like making different medicines and to find rare herbs. I…I dislike people who judge before really knowing about others. My hobby is going and helping my mother look over our herb garden." Hinata gave a small, almost unnoticeable glance to the blond before quickly looking away. "My dream for the future is to be able to become a good leader for my clan."

Hmmm… definitely something going on between her and the blond. Interesting enough, it looks like this team will have a pretty decent medic in the future. That is, if she decides to follow on her medicine and tonic making abilities. After all, one can always change from healing to poisoncrafting.

"Next. You, the sulking boy."

Sasuke gave a angry scowl as Naruto burst into laughter besides him. He glared at the blond and gave him a swat on the arm, which Naruto replied with a raspberry.

The Uchiha sighed in exasperation but also spoke out his introduction.

"My name's Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have many things that I like and there's plenty of things I dislike. My hobby includes training and as for my dream… well it's an ambition…" Sasuke's eyes darkened as he remembered the person who would now only haunt his nightmares. The night of slaughter under the blood red moon. "…My ambition is to one day kill a man and to restore my clan to its rightful position."

An uncomfortable silence fell after the Uchiha's declaration. Both Naruto and Hinata looked away, feeling sympathy for Sasuke being reminded of his clan's slaughter.

Though it seemed that Hatake Kakashi did not have a single sympathetic bone in his body.

"Well then." He said cheerfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Well, I suppose now's a good time to tell you that you might not be a genin. At least, you might not be when I'm through with you."

Naruto, who had been gawking at the jounin for his lack of tack, now found himself confused.

"Sensei what do you mean?"

"Hmmm…" Kakashi rubbed his masked chin in thought, trying to find a way to better explain what he was going to say. When he got it, the jounin snapped his fingers to show his idea. "Well, jounins by tradition gives a genin team a type of exam of their own, to test their mettle. As we have the overall authority over you guys, we evaluate you people ourselves and if you don't meet up to our expectation, then we have the power to literally strip you of your title as a genin. After, you can do normal citizen jobs or take the Academy again to hope for another year of review."

That wasn't good news. All three of them were staring at the jounin in shock. The mere thought of having to lose their titles as genins was mortifying, especially when they barely made it a few days ago.

"Oh and did I forget to mention? The average rate of success is below fifty percent. I'd say it's around thirty four or so."

Oh yeah… that was definitely good news.

"Well that's it for today. Meet me at training ground seven at nine in the morning to prepare for your exam." Kakashi gave them a weird upside down 'u' eye grin and waved to the three as he walked away.

Though he stopped right before the rails.

"Oh… I forgot to mention this as well. Don't eat anything for breakfast or you'll be sorry by the time the exam starts."

And with that, Hatake Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving three very bewildered genins behind.

**owo**

The night was long and tiring though to Hyuuga Hiashi, every night since has been the same. The clan head looked up from his rows of documents, and met the shining rays of the moon. It's light shone through the windows, illuminating his room to such an extent that he would not even need the candlelight at his table.

But did not have the luxury to lose himself into the moon's ethereal beauty.

No, not since that night when he had chosen to abandon love and warmth.

Hiashi slowly looked away from the moon and returned to his papers, a report from the council on reconnaissance and the skirmishes that followed from some of the teams.

Yet already, his mind was no longer there.

Rather, Hiashi found himself drifting back into the past, onto that night that he lost his beloved wife and how he became determined to shaping his daughter into anything but a mirror image of her.

For nearly a year, he proceeded to train her to the limits and when she began to falter, he would harshly punish her, literally pushing her to the brink of her sanity.

And for what reason?

He had been afraid that when his daughter grew up, she would be just like her mother, a woman with both a nightly beauty and a heart of amazing compassion. In his eyes, seeing her become like that would be a constant reminder of his lost and pain. If anything, he was more scared for what can possibly happen to her because of that compassion and kindness, a reminder that his own wife, and two others just as kind, were taken away.

But now, he saw it as nothing more than a fool's moment of panic.

What right did he have to even look his daughter in the face? She had every right to hate him, to despise his being for putting her through that hell, and yet, she never did. Even before Hinako had returned, his daughter had never once looked at him with hatred.

There was only sorrow and in her deepest core, forgiveness.

Hiashi did not deserve her forgiveness, not after everything he had put her through, nor would he ever ask for it. But he made a promise to never be as harsh to her as before, only a minor repentance for the wrongs he had committed.

Of course, that still did not forgive him for what had happened.

His crimes were made all the more acidic when he found that his wife had returned. The incredible joy that welled up when he had seen her and touched her again had immediately washed away when she asked of their daughter.

After learning what he had done, she never forgave him.

Though she still stayed with him for a time, he could immediately tell that there was a burning question welling up in her. It did not take much to know that she wanted to know his reason behind why he did what he did.

That question finally came and Hiashi had already prepared for it.

He had already condemned himself to a life without love, without ever being able to touch his beloved again. So, when she asked for his reason, he told her a lie.

He told her he needed a strong heir.

Ever since, though she would never say it, Hiashi could feel the revulsion in her, an instinctive need to be away from him. He could not blame her. Were he anyone else, he would also want to be away from Hyuuga Hiashi, the man who destroyed his family.

It is because of this revulsion that he quietly took solitary rest in another room, so that his beloved would never have to be with him in their bed. Even the room itself is simple and void of much luxury. The bed itself was nothing more than a futon placed on one end. It is this room that symbolizes his own willingness to be isolated.

And for the past four years, he slowly descended into as much work as possible, so as to help ease the pain of never being able to truly be with his family again.

But even he was not perfect, nor was his resolve completely solid.

There were times in which he wanted nothing more than to be able to hold his wife again, to share her warmth and mingle in the happiness of a family again.

But that moment never came and though there were times that could have led to it, he forced himself to get away from it.

It was one of these moments that lead to his wife questioning the reason behind their marriage, their consummated love, and the birth of their daughter. Though he himself already forfeited the role of a true father and husband, the words that came out of his wife still stung all the way to his very soul, shaking his already faltering foundations.

He could not blame her, not after the guilt that welled in him at every word.

But along with that guilt, there were a myriad of emotions as well, including anger and envy. What did she know of pain? What she had suffered at the hands of the traitor sannin, unless she did not tell him everything, was nothing compared to what he had gone through in his life.

The assassination of his mother, the first time seeing his father use the seal on his own brother, the moment that he killed the cloud jounin that almost led to a war, and the death of his brother, to save him. Everything then culminated to his wife's kidnapping and her possible death.

Compared to all that, the anguish that his wife suffered was nothing compared to his own. So how dare she even tried to accuse him of nothing less than what he had given?

Hiashi had snapped then, walking away from her with nothing but anger and resentment inside.

For the whole day afterwards, he did not meet her nor the two that came back. He busied himself with meetings between shinobi forces and other village matters.

Only now, that he is within his private studies, does he have time to himself and the moment to reminisce on the day.

Hiashi wearily closed his eyes and turned away from the candlelight. His mind was riddled with information and his body has been already approaching its limit. He needed rest.

With a sigh, he placed the ink brush neatly on the table and blew out the candle. Even the moon seemed to have sensed his weariness as the illuminating light faded with obscurity, covered by dark clouds.

The clan head rose up from his seat and walked over to his futon. He found that already, his weariness was taking its toll and his limbs felt like lead as he slowly laid onto the thin mattress and pulled the sheets up.

Yet Hiashi found that despite his great weariness, he could not sleep. His mind was filled with tidbits of information and memories. Facts of strange activities around Rice country began to mingle with the memories of his four year long isolation from his family and together, melded together into a mind turning soup.

Even though he should be resting, Hiashi was already feeling the beginnings of a migraine. It has been occurring quite frequently lately, a testament to the amount of work and stress that he had put up with for so long.

He could almost feel himself burning out.

'_Maybe… just maybe it will be my last time.' _He thought silently. _'If possible, I just might be able to rest for a while.'_

Though once again, he was prevented from falling asleep. This time, it was from outside forces. There were soft footsteps outside, so soft, in fact, that he had barely felt it.

Hiashi was too tired to use his Byakugan. So, he merely waited as the footsteps got closer and closer to his room.

The door slowly slid open and the person padded softly into his room.

Even in the darkness, Hiashi could see who this person was. He had seen her enough to have known her even if he had been blind.

"Hinako."

His wife walked a little closer, and knelt down next to him. It was almost as if she was visiting a sick patient with how he was right now, not even having the strength to raise his head.

"Hiashi-sama." Hinako whispered softly and drew closer to him. She reached out to his surprise, gently stroke his cheek. "I'm sorry."

What was there to be sorry about? If anything, she should still be condemning him.

"I know now. I know why you did it." Hinako shook her head and in the darkness, the brief glimmer on her cheeks told him she was crying. "It took me four years but I finally realized it. Were I in your place, I don't know if I wouldn't have done the same thing."

"No." Hiashi looked away. "You wouldn't. You are incapable of cruelty. That is what makes us different."

He was surprised when suddenly, her hands reached out and took his face, bringing him back to her direction. Hinako was still crying as she gently touched her forehead to his.

"You're not cruel." She whispered. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you. If anything, you're heart is too big.

You are my beloved husband, and if given the chance, you would have also been an amazing father. But under the circumstances, I doubt you were able to grieve when the clan was looking for a strong pillar. You must have been holding it in until I returned and even then, I did not allow you to rest." She sobbed gently shook her head. "Please forgive me for my foolishness."

It was an amazing feeling, to be able to feel her again. Hiashi gave a sigh and his entire body relaxed, it was as if a great weight had lifted from his body yet all that did was make him even more weary. Now, more than ever, he felt the strain of his failing health.

"And you've been slowly killing yourself for repentance." Hiashi watched as she slowly straightened up, and the moonlight chose that moment to appear once more, illuminating her watery smile. "You no longer have to."

And he watched as she slid out of her yukata, with the moonlight bathing her bare skin with an utter beauty. Hiashi was speechless as his wife, who lost none of her beauty, slid out of her garments and slipped in to the futon with him.

Hinako wrapped herself into him and lowered her head onto his shoulder. It was almost too good to be true as he felt her bare skin touching through the fabric of his own yukata.

"Hiashi-sama…" Her eyes looked up and met him, shining with both guilt and love. "I love you."

**owo**

**A/N: Wahahahaha finished!!! Oh my freaking god I'm so tired. Gah anyways everyone go on and leave your reviews and all that. One thing you guys must have noticed is that unlike those other stupid fanfics where Kakashi seems to be literally begging to have Sasuke in the team, I make him reluctant to have to teach an Uchiha this time. Reason should be quite easy. A clan Uchiha would definitely have scrolls on how to control the Sharingan. I find the notion of Kakashi ever having to teach him how to use it is utterly ridiculous. As if a guy who had it transplanted would ever need to explain to the original clans on how to use their own doujutsu.**

**Anyways yeah... time for me to rest here so peace everyone!**

**-Phoenix**

**-REVIEW!!!!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/n: Whaaa I'm so sorry everyone. A combination of games, lack of muse, and tiredness overall has kept this chapter from being out. I also fell a bit into depression when I read the newest Naruto chapter. I swear, if it's a positive that Kishimoto kills Hinata, I might just stop reading the crap manga for good.**

**As a side note, I'll be changing this story to rated M. You might already tell from the hints in this chapter but eventually, I might have it take a much more mature turn. Everyone look out for it.**

**And I don't really have much else to say either than thanking my new beta-reader, Twilight's Oblivion.**

**On with the story!**

**owo  
**

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly puffed his smoke pipe while he stared intently at the four stone heads that proudly gazed over Konoha from atop the Hokage monument behind him. The aging man was musing over the state of the village and the potential war that threatened his village.

Originally, he had placed the village under martial law to finally reinstate his power as Hokage and to reduce the council back to its original state, that of being mere advisors. He had done this over the great mistreatment that had befallen young Uzumaki before in the past. With his return, he made it clear that any more unjust behavior will not be tolerated.

But now, reinstating wartime powers may have been a better choice than he had hoped.

Already, numerous reports came of Orochimaru's little pet village and the sudden booming in population. It seemed impossible that suddenly, the estimated continued to grow so quickly, almost reaching the population of other Shinobi villages in a mere few years.

Something wasn't right. If anything, Orochimaru has discovered a way to either draw more people to his will or he found a technique to age people until they became of fighting age. Those were the only plausible conclusions.

"My faithless student. To think that it would come to this."

It was already quite obvious what Orochimaru intends to do with his backing. The traitor Sannin had once been the greatest of his three students and his knowledge in all of the Shinobi techniques was equal to his own. Like himself, Orochimaru knew every technique that the village had to offer.

And with no new techniques to learn, the village had nothing left to offer him.

Now, with his growing army, it was only a matter of time before he made war with Konoha.

And Sarutobi will do everything he can to prepare his beloved village for that inevitable battle.

A soft thud behind him signified another presence. The old Hokage did not need to ask who it was for only one person possessed that type of spiritual chakra.

"Chiriku-san. To what do I owe the honor?"

The monk, apparently a sworn brother to his own son, bowed low before the Hokage. "Hokage-dono, as you have already requested, the final preparations for the seal have been put in place. The basic outline is large enough to cover the capital of Fire country and much of the southern borders, including Konoha."

"Good work." Hiruzen nodded his head. "I'm sorry that it took four years for you to finish this. It must be hard to part from your temple for that long."

"No, please think nothing of it. I was glad to help and with this seal, we can ensure that the greatest of Orochimaru's destruction cannot harm the capital, Konoha, and my own temple."

Orochimaru, his former prized student. If someone had told him that Orochimaru would become one of Konoha's greatest enemies forty years ago, he would have scoffed at them or challenge them to a fight for even daring to insult him.

Back then he had been one of the greatest geniuses to have ever graced the village. Techniques seemed almost like water to him as he flowed through it with as much ease as a shark would through calm seas. Sarutobi could say that he was very proud of the boy, seemingly coming out of his parents' deaths with a startling recovery and diving headlong into the village's well being.

But then, he began to notice a darkness that was growing within him. In battle, there were times that he played with his enemies, drawing out needless fights as if to test something.

However, he always took a blind eye to this, refusing to even think that the student he prized so much would even have a chance of descending into heresy.

That was his mistake.

Orochimaru had indeed begun growing more and more malicious, carving bloody paths through battlefields without remorse. It was also during those times that people from Konoha began to disappear without a trace. Although he did not want to believe it, Hiruzen knew that somehow, his student was the one behind it.

So, when it was time for a successor to be chosen, he took Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya's own star pupil, as the Yondaime.

That proved to have been the last straw. Afterwards, Orochimaru did not even bother to hide his intentions, leading to numerous investigations that eventually led to many of his underground laboratories. Hiruzen himself had bore witness to the atrocities that his student had done to so many people. They were so terrible that even a battle hardened Hokage like himself had fallen and literally emptied out his stomach at first sight.

Soon after that churning discovery, he cornered his student, intent on finally bringing him down. Now that he thought about it, that time might have been the single moment where Orochimaru was at his weakest. Truly, that one time would have ridden the world of a great evil.

But he hesitated, still seeing the last vestiges of his pupil within those serpentine eyes. To his greatest shame, Hiruzen could not deal the deathblow.

And with that moment of weakness, he may very well have doomed the lives of countless individuals. An eternity spent suffering in the fiery pits of Makai would not even be able to burn the surface of his sins. He had much to account for.

"Hokage-dono?" The Sandaime quickly snapped out of his musings, cursing himself for being so impolite to the one before him. He turned back to the monk and gave him a sheepish smile.

"Please forgive me. I find myself drifting into the past more and more these days."

Chiriku bowed his head, showing not a trace of being insulted. "No, you have no need to apologize. To prevent mistakes from happening, one must always look back into the past for guidance."

"As expected of master monk." Hiruzen responded with a smile. "While we are on this topic, how goes your teachings on Naruto-kun?"

The monk gave a soft smile as he turned his gaze over towards the Hokage monument. "Naruto-kun has definitely improved. I am rather surprised that he can pick up the concepts so quickly. Sometimes it would be a week, sometimes three days, and on some occasions, he can learn it right on the spot. I can safely say that by now, the boy has a solid grasp on all the concepts involving the taijutsu style.

"But actually putting it into work is a little harder for him. Unlike the concepts that are understood through analyzing, the actual footwork seems to take him much longer. His form is still a little shaky and there can be times that intentional openings that I give are not taken. That being said, he is making remarkable progress. I daresay that if he continues at the rate he does now, he can finish the style in half the time that I did."

Hiruzen smiled and turned towards the stoic face of his successor and regrettably, his predecessor as well. "Of course. That boy, no matter how you look at it, truly takes after his father."

Chiriku glanced over towards the Hokage before him, confused. When he noticed that the Sandaime was smiling at a face on the monument, he followed the path of his smile and his eyes widened in surprise.

"H-Hokage-dono! You don't mean to say that Naruto-kun's father is actually…!"

"Yes. However, his identity must be kept secret. His father had many enemies, and though his name was feared throughout the Shinobi world, if word were to spread that the Yondaime had a child any and all enemies of his would flock to him with a vengeance to prevent a second coming of _Konoha no Kiiroi Senko_."

Chiriku stood there in shock. No… he stood there in bewilderment. Now that the pieces finally fell into place, he could see the boy, in later years, greatly resembling the Yondaime. It's true that a man as great as him would have many enemies. Chiriku himself had been a just a boy in his teens yet his father would always praise the man, claiming that the war with Stone would end because of him.

And it had.

Yondaime-sama had personally taken out hundreds of Iwa Shinobi. His name was so feared that there had been a decree issued by Iwa's commanders to their Shinobi subordinates. Anyone facing the Yellow Flash was to flee immediately. His name stretched out throughout the entire Shinobi world and he became as feared as the Sannin before him.

And to think, he would be training the son of a man whom he saw as the pinnacle of strength.

The monk's startled expression slowly gave way as a smile appeared on his face. "So to think that I will be teaching Yondaime-sama's very own son. It is a great honor."

"And one that you must keep to yourself no matter the cost." Hiruzen nodded to the mountains. "To teach that boy, knowing his lineage, is a great honor in itself, but to honor the Yondaime's wish and to secretly recognize the boy not for his father's achievements but for his own is the greatest honor you can give to his parents."

Chiriku bowed lowly before the Hokage. "I understand."

The Sandaime smiled and nodded. Soon, the monk disappeared in a puff of smoke, no doubt meeting up with Asuma again. Hiruzen smiled at the image of his successor, acknowledging the great strength and sacrifices before him.

"The Will of Fire still burns, Yondaime. The ability to take sadness and pain, using it to strive for greater heights, is the definition of strength. It seems your son will become one of this village's greatest in due time. For that, be proud, my successor."

**owo**

At that moment, Naruto was seriously contemplating murder. That damn jounin had been two hours late yesterday and now, he's two hours late AGAIN! What the hell's his problem? Once is already bad enough, especially with a half-assed excuse like 'lost on the road of life' but to be tardy again? Someone's asking for a huge beating.

Besides him, Sasuke was also quietly fuming. Not only did he feel like crap, most likely because of the absence of breakfast, but also because the day was unusually warm for Konoha and it was only just now nearing noon. Where the hell did their sensei go?

"Sasuke." The Uchiha looked up to see the blond fingering a kunai, his face nonplussed.

"Yeah?"

"You up to having a little target practice?" Now that was interesting. Sasuke arched an eyebrow but took out a kunai as well, though he eyed the blond dubiously. To Naruto's other side, Hinata shook her head but did little else to stop him.

"Do we have a target?"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, he should be here in three… two… one…"

Suddenly, a plume of smoke appeared out of nowhere in the clearing. Naruto's eyes widened and he flung his kunai straight towards the clouds. Sasuke, who actually only reacted on instinct, threw his kunai as well, only stopping to curse himself when he realized who they threw it at.

There was an audible clash of steel as the clouds dispersed. Two kunais fell onto the ground with soft thuds and all three of the genins looked from the weapons to their sensei, who was scratching his head with one hand… and holding on to a ladle with the other.

"Ehehe… Yo, everyone!"

The three did not reply. Rather, their attention was fixed on the steel ladle that was still in the Jounin's hands. It seemed to play with them with how it glinted in the sunlight… and how it knocked back two kunais. Finally, Hinata decided to voice out the question they were all thinking.

"Ano… Sensei? Why do you have a ladle?"

"Ah, this?" Kakashi gave his weird smile, or at least they thought he was smiling, as he lifted up the ladle for a clearer view. "I was actually making some stew when I remembered that I had to come here. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even bother to drop it as I left my home."

That was the biggest pile of bullshit they had ever heard.

Naruto's eye twitched and he began reaching for a shuriken. Kakashi merely waved his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Maa maa… no need to be so worked up. Well, as long as we're all here, we might as well start."

The three genins watched as their jounin instructor slowly pulled out an alarm clock. He set it down on top of a tree trunk and slowly fell into a lazy pace of seals. When finished, the earth before him began to rise, molding into the shape of a person. Slowly, color and features appeared, and Kakashi's clone made its debut.

"You all already know the concept of teamwork as your teams are all based on those who worked well together in the past." Kakashi nodded and jerked a finger towards his clone. "This Iwa Bunshin contains about five percent of my strength and chakra reserves, making it about the same level as a very low Chuunin or high genin. You have until three hours to defeat this clone. If you cannot do so within that time limit, then consider your careers as genins over."

Silently, each and every one of the three nodded. They had prepared themselves for this. The previous genin exam was merely to show who had the potential to pass; now they were going to be weeded out even further.

But they had all gone through much to get to where they were then. No one was gonna back down now after all that they had been through. Naruto narrowed his eyes and fell into a martial stance, bending his elbows and tightening his fists.

To his left, Hinata activated her Byakugan and she too fell into a taijutsu stance, slowly bringing up her palm in the traditional form of Jyuuken.

To his right, Sasuke hunched forward and had his hands ready, hovering over the two shuriken pouches strapped to his waist.

All three tensed themselves as Kakashi raised a hand. The tension began to mount as seconds stretched to what seemed like minutes. To the genins, it had probably been one of the longest thirty seconds of their lives.

And it was broken when Kakashi brought his hand down.

"Start."

Immediately, Sasuke leapt back and hurled a flurry of projectiles towards the clone. At the same time, Naruto had also tossed in a few kunais and charged forward. The Kakashi clone blocked all projectiles with a kunai of its own before leaping back in time to dodge Naruto's weapons. The blond skidded to a halt before the clone, and sent a sudden punch aimed for its windpipe.

The clone grabbed his arm with startling speed before launching the blonde over its shoulder, reacting just in time to dodge a blow that would have disabled his lungs. It managed to glance down, and, seeing that the new attacker was Hinata, was sure to dodge the attempted Jyuuken strike to its chin instead of blocking.

Grabbing the heiress's arms it spun its body in an arc before throwing her at the recovering blond. Naruto had a moment to look up and hastily prepared himself just in time to catch Hinata, though the momentum caused them both to tumble back onto the ground. Using the distraction the clone took this time to create some distance between them.

But this time, it found itself right in Sasuke's path.

The Uchiha smirked in triumph as he drove a kunai into its stomach before it could properly react.

But his elation was short lived. The clone's body disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing a wooden log. Sasuke, shocked at this, quickly hopped back to a relatively safe distance. He immediately turned his attention to the real Kakashi, who was lounging next to the stump.

The lazy Jounin shrugged. "What? Just because it's at five percent doesn't mean it doesn't know techniques. It just can't use them as extensively."

After hearing this, Naruto's eye twitched again. "Dammit, sensei." He muttered angrily. "You could've told us."

"Er… I thought it was obvious."

Naruto shook his head disgustedly as he slowly stood up again. The blond gave Hinata his hand, which she took silently and with a cute blush across her cheeks. As they stood up and dusted themselves off, Naruto made a small noise of irritation. It looked like this wasn't going to be as easy as they thought.

"Hmm? What are you all still standing here for? Time is still ticking."

Sasuke gave a curse and immediately sprinted towards the forest's direction. Naruto glanced at Hinata and nodded. Together, they quickly caught up to the Uchiha as they attempt to find the elusive clone.

**owo**

The sun had finally won its battle with the clouds, bestowing its magnificent rays back into the village. It bathed Konoha with its radiance and warmth, giving energy back to those that wanted it.

But Hinako was not one of them.

Today had been one of those days that she'd wish the sun's light and warmth were blocked by clouds. At the very least, it would mean that she could stay where she was longer.

The Hyuuga matriarch slowly opened her eyes, already used to the light that now shone through the windows. She wanted to groan, as the day seemed to beckon her to get up and stop sleeping. She childishly wanted to stay in bed.

Hinako made a small noise of annoyance at the sun's rays and shifted in her position. She slowly raised her head up and smiled as she gazed at the silent visage of her husband.

Hyuuga Hiashi was still sound asleep, no doubt still exhausted after constant meetings and reports. It also must have burdened him to have to put up that façade around everyone, maintaining that aura of a powerful clan leader.

Her smile fell when she remembered the horror at seeing him when that aura was gone.

She knew already that she had a large role in hurting him so much, driving to this enormous fatigue.

Guilt wound up within her again as she remembered the coldness that she had directed to him, basically leaving him to drown in his work for the past four years. Now that she truly opened her eyes to him again, she can only feel a sense of self-loathing for his incredibly weakened state.

"Hiashi-sama…" She slowly inched upwards and lowered her head, landing a soft kiss onto his lips. "I won't leave you again. I promise."

The matriarch slowly rose from the relative comfort of the futon and immediately shivered. She forgot that she had slid off her clothing when she came to bed with her husband. Granted, nothing happened that night as he had fallen asleep quite quickly, but it was still a little embarrassing to remember her slightly thoughtless moment at that time.

Hinako quickly found her discarded yukata and slipped into it once more.

However, before she could even wrap the warm clothing around her body, something pulled her down, causing her to yelp in surprise. Hinako gave a small wince as her body fell back down and for a brief moment, she momentarily stiffened as she felt arms wrapping themselves around her naked frame.

But she soon relaxed, remembering that it was her husband who was in this room with her. She slowly looked up and smiled at her husband, who met it with a single, sleepy eye.

"Good morning Hiashi-sama."

"Mmmm… it _was _a good morning until you left my side." He admitted quietly. Hiashi wrapped his arms a little tighter and pulled her closer to him. "It became uncomfortably cold after."

Hinako's smile fell, if only for a moment. Hiashi's admittance spoke much by itself. It told her much on how he felt whenever he slept by himself, away from her and the comfort of their bed.

But she quickly placed on a new smile. She couldn't let him see her constantly in remorse. It would only make the both of them feel worse than before. So she settled into his embracing, snuggling back into him.

And the smile returned when she felt his hands sliding away the yukata, tracing her body along the way.

"Hiashi-sama, don't you have any meetings today?"

"None are important enough that a day's delay would matter."

"What about Hanabi and the rest of the clan? Won't they get suspicious if we were away for so long?"

"They should know better than to barge in here if the two of us are missing."

"Then what about-" But before Hinako could finish Hiashi silenced her with a kiss, one that he had not had the luxury of giving in a long time. Hinako closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure at the feel of his lips. It had been so long since she felt those lips on her own, kissing her in the one way that only Hiashi knew how.

After a while, Hiashi pulled away, leaving his wife looking up at him with unfocused eyes and a lazy, satiated smile.

"No more questions." He murmured.

Hinako could only nod as her husband pulled the sheets over the two of them. She closed her eyes and gasped in pleasure as Hiashi settled the two of them into a steady pace of enticement and need.

**owo**

If there were one word that could sum up Team Seven's feelings regarding this test, it would be frustration. While the clone was truly weak in that it's attacks lacked power, it's constant running away and laying traps, along with its extremely tough surface, made attacking it as irritating as it was useless.

The only time they had even made a breakthrough had been when the three of them used a very elaborate combination of attacks and even then, all it did was knock the clone with enough strength to have it stumble and collapse momentarily.

That brief achievement fell when the clone had then performed a strange technique that completely caused it to disappear, leaving the three of them now once again tracking it down.

The clone in itself is a testament to their jounin-sensei's strength and prowess in battle. Even though it was only five percent in strength, it had managed to elude them for the better half of their three hours. Not only that but the few times that they had managed to flush it out, it gave a decent fight and disappeared once again before they had the chance to overpower it.

Truly, their jounin-sensei was not the average Shinobi, but that only added to their frustration.

"Damn it all, how the hell does a stupid rock clone fight like this?" Naruto panted, now tired from the constant tracking and fighting. Beside him, Hinata and Sasuke weren't any better off.

Sasuke sported a few bruises on his wrists and arms where the clone had struck to disarm him. He also had a mild case of chakra exhaustion from using his fireballs a few times. He was currently looking over his weapons pouch, counting the remaining kunais and shurikens he had left.

They had very little remaining.

Hinata also had a few injuries, mainly slight cut from where the clone had slashed at her. Before, it had been much larger and bleeding but after she had applied some of her medicinal cream over, it had healed quite quickly. The cut was now mostly covered and in a few hours, would be healed completely. She was currently using her Byakugan to scout the area, looking for any traces that of the elusive clone.

They had less than an hour remaining.

"Only about fifteen kunais and thirty shurikens left in total." Sasuke shook his head and stood up from where he was. "We have to take it out soon or we'll be completely out of weapons."

"Hinata, do you see the clone anywhere?" The young heiress shook her head.

"The clone still has not entered my field of vision." Hinata sighed. "And we only have about forty minutes left."

That was not good news at all. None of them wanted to fail this test.

"Damn. Something's not right here. How does a clone who has only five percent of the original's strength still fight like this?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the surrounding trees. "You'd think that such a low chakra supply would mean that it'd disappear real soon."

Sasuke gave a grunt and nodded. "It's already been more than two hours and though it only used Kawarimi and some basic chakra control techniques, it should have disappeared already. Unless Kakashi-sensei has an enormous charka supply, this should be impossible."

And that was where the problem fell to. All three of them knew that though Kakashi was definitely a jounin, his reserves shouldn't be so large that a clone of with a small percentage could last as long as it did. Something wasn't right. If anything, Kakashi merely called it an Iwa bunshin to trick them, to divert their attention away from something else.

But what?

"Is it possible that Kakashi-sensei may have made something that keeps the clone alive?"

Both Naruto and Sasuke stared at the young Hyuuga heiress, who blushed at the seemingly outrageous idea. She was about to stammer out her apology when Naruto suddenly spoke up.

"You know… I wouldn't put it past that guy to make something like this."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "He made the clone and gave out a half-truth so that we'd focus our attention only on defeating the clone, diverting our attention from the real purpose of this exam."

Naruto grinned. "Hinata, you rock."

"Ah…"

Her face suddenly heated up and she immediately looked down in embarrassment. She couldn't help it. The moment Naruto gave her a compliment, she felt as if her heart had swelled to nearly thrice its original size. What was she to do when he made her feel this way so easily?

'_No, I mustn't think about these things in the middle of an exam.' _Hinata quietly shook her head. _'First, I have to be able to pass before I can think of these things.'_

Hinata closed her eyes and began to channel chakra once more. Slowly, the veins around her eyes began to bulge with the larger flow of blood and chakra, fueling her eyes with the needed energy. The heiress opened them once more, revealing her activated Byakugan.

Though her range was not as great as many of the Hyuugas within her clan, it was still sufficient enough to cover a maximum of sixty meters, a radius where their encounters with the rock clone had been more numerous than anywhere else.

'_Find it… I have to find the seal.'_

Hinata's vision flew past trees, rocks, and other foliages as she scoured their surrounding areas for a possible energy source for the clone.

Suddenly, a dim glow caught her attention. Hinata zeroed in towards a thick bush, seemingly glowing with more energy than possible. She gave a bit more concentration into that area and the bush soon faded from her vision, revealing an intricate seal, glowing with energy and the kanji for 'earth' written in its center.

Hinata gave a relieved smile. She found it.

"Thirty degrees westward, about fifty-six meters away lays a small bush. Under it, there is a seal with the kanji for 'earth' in the center. It's possible that this seal might be the one that fuels the clone."

Naruto nodded and motioned for everyone to gather. Once they were close enough, he began to draw a loose diagram on the ground.

"Everyone, we can assume that Kakashi-sensei's clone will be somewhere around that area. It's only natural to assume that there would be some difficulties ahead. We only have about forty minutes left and if anything, it'll take us at least half that time to finish this." Naruto's eyes hardened and he pointed at a single spot within his diagram. "But I have a plan. Everyone listen well."

**owo**

Kakashi was nothing if not very prepared for anything. Even if he would enter a D – rank mission, he would carry a multitude of weapons and other needed equipments just in case this mission were to turn awry. He had learned early on that easy missions could hide a more sinister nature and that it would be more prudent to stay paranoid than to completely become enamored to it.

The same principle applies to his dealings with people.

For example, he knew that three genins were simply just fresh rookies, having skills not that much higher than regular genins. But he had also seen to assessing their mental capacities, deciding whether or not they were prepared to see things that a Shinobi's occupation will entail.

Right off the bat, both Uzumaki and Uchiha passed, the two having already been exposed to great violence and bloodshed. In fact, Uzumaki Naruto's report hinted of such numerous traumas that he was skeptical if the boy was a little _too _qualified for his role within the team, should it ever pass.

But he gazed over it and instead, focused more on the one that did not have violence throughout her life. Hyuuga Hinata was the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, the single most prestigious group within the village and second only to the Hokage and his two advisers in authority. At first glance, it was clear that the young heiress did not have the same exposure as the boys in terms of trauma. In fact, she must have led a fairly sheltered life.

But he also saw that there was something off in the Hyuuga, something that almost made that innocence seem like a façade.

He had dove a little deeper into her records and found that she had already been exposed to the Kyuubi's existence.

And after that, he understood.

For someone like Uzumaki Naruto, who suffered from both Konoha's citizens and Orochimaru's experiments, the trauma would leave a deep impression into his being, hardening his soul to the world in a way that a Shinobi would need. But Hyuuga Hinata had none of that deep impression of fear until that one moment.

That night, she experienced true fear to the highest degree by coming in contact with the Kyuubi and its monstrous killing intent.

And as expected, she eventually began to grow a shell against the world, in a reflexive instinct to hide one's own true fear. Because she began to become more like a Shinobi after that encounter, the possibility that her fear comes from the demon fox is very high.

Yet at the same time, there was little to no fear for Uzumaki Naruto himself. If anything, this fear gave her a stronger push into the boy's direction.

That's when Kakashi realized that what Hyuuga Hinata was most scared of wasn't on the possibility of the demon appearing again. Her fear stemmed from the fact that something like that could destroy Naruto.

"And that fear is what motivates her to become stronger." Kakashi sighed and absently flipped the page of his book. "In order to reduce the chance of that ever happening, she will continue to grow as strong as possible."

The jounin glanced over to the alarm clock placed neatly placed on top of the tree stump.

"Hmm… only a few more minutes left. Can they really finish this test?" Kakashi glanced over towards the forest, where an eerie silence had fallen. It had already been about twenty minutes since he last heard the sounds of clashing steel. Ever since, the forest fell quiet and he could not make out what was happening.

Had they given up?

Kakashi stopped and closed his book with an audible snap. He gave a small sigh as he slipped it back into his equipment pouch and began a slow trek to the dense thicket of trees. If Team 7 had indeed given up, then he would need to be there to fail them. It was the least he could do as their one-day commander.

Kakashi's eyes suddenly snapped open and he quickly leapt back just as the forest exploded with chakra. The jounin gritted his teeth and used his own chakra to glue himself to the ground, as the force was powerful enough to create strong gusts of wind.

"W-what is this enormous chakra?" Kakashi gritted his teeth within his mask as the force of the gust assaulted his body. "This is insane! Who could have released this much?"

Even as he asked it, the Copy Ninja already knew. Out of everyone in the immediate vicinity, only one person could have the possible reserves to release such a large blast.

"Heh." As the gust slowly died, Kakashi brought a hand up to scratch his head in exasperation. "I guess they didn't give up after all."

A few minutes later, Kakashi noticed the group of three walking out of the forest. Sasuke was in the lead, holding out the proof of their victory: A slightly dirtied Icha Icha Paradise book.

Behind him, Hinata helped support Naruto, who looked out of breath. It should not come to a surprise, as the amount of chakra unleashed must have been rough equivalent of six of his _Raikiris_. The blond looked up and met his gaze for a moment before giving out a tired smile. Beside him, the Hyuuga helped steady him has he walked. She didn't even bother to acknowledge him as all of her attention and worry was fixed on the boy in her care.

Kakashi couldn't decide whether to feel insulted or humbled.

The genins stopped in front of him, awaiting their evaluation.

The jounin glanced at the three, switching from face to face until it landed on the book held out by Sasuke. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, taking in their appearances and at the area where the explosion of chakra had taken place.

Then, he snapped his finger and summed up his thoughts. "You all look like crap."

The reactions were immediate.

Naruto's eyes arched an eyebrow at the Jounin's lack of tack. Hinata, who was still by his side, turned and gave him a reproving frown. And Sasuke gave him an annoyed scowled as he flung the book in his direction.

Kakashi caught it perfectly and carefully dusted off the dirt from the book. "Well at the very least, you three managed to defeat the rock clone. I'm interested in how you did this. That large explosion of chakra certainly added to my curiosity. Tell me, what did you do to defeat my clone?"

Naruto grinned and nodded his head over towards the direction of the trees. "When we guessed that your clone might actually have had an alternate supply of energy outside of yourself, we immediately came up with a plan.

"We took our time looking for the clone. Once we found it, Hinata and Sasuke, along with about twenty of my clones, diverted its attention. They drove it to the inner regions of the forest and my clones prevented it from returning back to where it was. As soon as it was clear, I came to where the seal was hidden and poured all of my chakra into it, breaking the seal."

It was a simple plan. But with the right people for the job, it could be very effective. Still, one thing bothered Kakashi when he heard the plan.

"How were Sasuke and Hinata with a mere escort of twenty clones being enough to stop my clone? Granted, it only has a limited amount of intelligence but it still has about the same taijutsu style and fluidity as myself. Not that I doubt the two of your strengths but my clone should have been able to elude you easily."

Hinata shook her head and replied with a small smile. "That's your mistake Kakashi-sensei. Naruto-kun's clones weren't fighting yours, they were spread out in a circle to help power a containment seal."

Sasuke gave a grunt and a smirk to which he added his own comment, "And since your clone couldn't use high-powered techniques, the barrier was enough to stop it."

A barrier seal; so that was how they did it. But mere genins should not possess the knowledge of seals until when they were almost into their Chuunin years. How, then, was Naruto able to possess the intricate usage of seals?

The blond, seeing the Jounin's unspoken question, merely grinned. "Chiriku-shishou taught me some things on seals. I'm not that great yet but I'm learning."

"Chiriku-sama?" Now that was an eye opener. Kakashi was not briefed on this. Who would have thought that the infamous Chiriku of The Thousand Fists was Naruto's master? Interesting…

"Well? Do we pass or not?"

"Hmm…" Kakashi rubbed his chin, glancing at all three genins and their slightly haggard appearance. Then, he glanced at the clock, which had yet to ring, before finally swiveling down to the book in his hands.

The book's hardcover had wet dirt clumped into it.

"Sorry, you all fail."

**owo**

Hiruzen groaned as he finished listening to the Copy Ninja's report. Kakashi had passed the team, which was a first, but apparently, he also provoked them a little too much. Kakashi reported that Naruto had begun cursing him and flinging his remaining shurikens at him. The jounin had dodged them all and grabbed on to the boy to restrain him but Naruto had some other ideas.

It seemed he wanted to leave _some_ mark on the jounin as he had then clamped his teeth into Kakashi's arm, leaving a very pronounced bite mark.

Well, aside from that, there were no other misgivings. He nodded his thanks to the jounin, who promptly vanished in a puff of smoke.

With the final report given, Hiruzen returned his attention to the few documents left by his shadow clones. His eyes narrowed at the reports and the words that caught his attention.

Fang country, a land renowned for possessing the strongest military power outside of the five great countries, had been completely wiped out. The villages were burned with the population being reduced by ninety-five percent. The capital, once hailed as one of the most impregnable areas in the known world, had been reduced to rubble.

The reports tell of the survivors claiming that only three hundred or so marauders had done all of this. Such a feet should be next to impossible. Even Konoha, with its thousands of Shinobi in service, could not hope to take over a country with the same strength as Fang or the Five Great Nations. How, then, did a mere three hundred conquer what thousands cannot?

The Hokage's attention was caught by a report on the soldiers, where one had claimed none of those marauders were harmed by swords or arrows. In fact, they seemed to have descended from the skies and rained death onto their soldiers.

One such report also said that the marauders' skins were all extremely hard, to the point where their blades would imbed by a little at most.

Another spoke of how the marauders seemed to have extracted weapons from their own limbs and were charged with chakra.

They were all cloaked in black and red.

'_Marauders descending from the sky… with hardened skins and weapons extracted from their own bodies…' _The Hokage closed his eyes for a moment as he sought through his memories for a plausible solution.

In his years as a Shinobi, he had encountered many things and unique characteristics amongst his opponents. One such case had been about forty years ago when he had fought against a member of the Kaguya clan. The man had been a bloodthirsty individual who tore bones out of his own body to be used as weapons.

But he had also learned that the Kaguya clan had been completely wiped out.

'_There is a possibility that these reports can be about puppets. Yet what person could possibly control hundreds of puppets at the same time? Such a feat is impossible!'_

Hiruzen opened his eyes once more and glanced at the report. He flipped through a few pages, skimming through the lines until one such report caught his attention.

All of the marauders' weapons were coated in extremely potent poison. Some even spewed out clouds of poison into villages, wiping out the population entirely.

'_How horrible.' _He flipped through more pages until he found the insignia described by some soldiers. It was of a black triangle with a single red scorpion in the middle.

Scorpion? Where had he seen that insignia before?

Hiruzen opened up a drawer and slowly pulled out a small black book. He flipped through a few pages before he found the same red scorpion. Below it, the picture of a young redheaded man with an apathetic expression appeared.

"Akasuna… no Sasori." His old eyes widened in shock. The one that wiped out Fang Country was the infamous Sasori of the Red Sands…

The man was already infamous within Konoha. After all, Sasori was the one responsible for the sabotage that forced Kakashi's father, Konoha's legendary White Fang, to abandon the mission in favor of saving his teammates. Hiruzen had never forgotten the effects of that mission's failure. Konoha lost many Shinobi that day.

"And he has now struck again." Hiruzen closed his eyes and sighed. "Kakashi must not know of this, not yet."

The Sandaime gently placed the Bingo Book back into his drawer and placed the report aside. He had much to think about.

And it seemed he wouldn't be getting that time much.

Suddenly, the door rang with knocks. Sandaime arched an eyebrow but called out an affirmative. Slowly, the doors creaked open and a familiar sight of messy blond hair poked out of the crack.

Hiruzen offered the boy a warm smile. For the moment, he'll put aside the report.

"Naruto-kun, I heard that you passed your Genin trial. Congratulations."

The blond nodded absently as he walked in and took a seat in front of the venerable old man. He politely declined the offer for drinks and looked rather nervous, which was strange in and of itself.

"Um… Jiji can I ask a favor for you?"

The Hokage nodded. "Well… you were there four years ago when Hinako-san asked to adopt me. You remembered my conditions right?"

Again, he nodded. At the same time, he opened another drawer and slowly retrieved a key.

"Well… I passed the exam. I'm a genin and that means that I should be an adult now." He looked slightly uncomfortable, as if the thought of leaving the Hyuuga household wasn't appealing at all. "And… I want to be independent now. I can't be relying on the Hyuugas forever."

"Are you sure?" Hiruzen clasped his hands together. "The Hyuugas never had a problem with your presence and it would seem that Hinako-san, Hinata-san, and Hanabi-san are all very fond of you."

"I know…" Naruto bit his lip. "I know but I'll always feel I'm imposing into their family. I don't fit in no matter how hard they try to let me do so."

"I see." Sandaime held out his hand and presented the key. "Then if you're absolutely sure, this is the key to your new home."

Naruto took it but stared at it in wonder. He looked up and met the gaze of the Third Hokage. Hiruzen could already see the unvoiced question brimming in the blonde's eyes and gave him a smile.

"I did not buy the home. It was the former home of a dear friend of mine, who wanted to leave it in your care. I had every intention of one day presenting this home for you. He wanted to remain anonymous until you became old enough to figure out for yourself."

Naruto took the key in wonder. For a few minutes, nothing was exchanged between the two as one stared at the key and other stared at the boy. Finally, the young blond looked up and he asked his question.

"This friend… did he know me well?"

Hiruzen stared at the boy, seeing the resemblance almost immediately. His face slowly split in a sad smile as his eyes fell on the image to his side, where the solemn expression of another blond met his gaze.

"Yes." He replied softly. "He knew you well."

**owo**

**A/N: Whaaaa.... finally finished! Many thanks to my new beta reader for checking over the chapter. Everyone give a round of applause for Twilight's Oblivion! Anyways I'm working on the new chapter but once again, I dunno if I can complete it quickly. I have a pretty bad case of senioritis these days. :P**

**Thanks for those that stuck with me! I hope to see you all again next chapter!**

**-Phoenix**

**REVIEW!!!  
**


End file.
